Question 1

Why do courageuses and généreuses end in "-euses"?

Accepted Answer

The masculine forms of these adjectives end in "-eux" (courageux and généreux). When describing a feminine noun like femmes, the "-eux" ending changes to "-euse". Finally, because there is more than one woman, we add an "-s" to the end to make them plural.

Question 2

Since femme is feminine, why isn't it cettes femmes?

Accepted Answer

The word for "this" or "that" changes depending on gender (ce for masculine, cette for feminine). But for the plural "these" or "those", French keeps it simple: it is always ces, regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

Question 3

Do I pronounce the final "-s" on courageuses and généreuses?

Accepted Answer

No, the final "-s" used to make the words plural is completely silent. You pronounce these plural words exactly the same way you would pronounce their singular forms: courageuse and généreuse. The "s" right before the "e" makes a "z" sound because it sits between two vowels.

Question 4

Is the word order for vraiment généreuses the same as in English?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While you have learned that French adjectives often come after the noun, adverbs like vraiment (really) that modify an adjective go right in front of that adjective, exactly like "really generous" in English.

Ces femmes sont courageuses et vraiment généreuses.

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