An adjective is a word that describes a noun: it can describe a shape, colour, size, and so on. Adjectives in French are employed differently than in the English language due to two factors: agreement and their position in a sentence.

Agreement refers to correspondence of gender and number (all nouns can be identified as having a gender and being either in the singular form or plural form).

Position refers to the notion that adjectives are usually placed after the noun they are describing, although there are some exceptions.

e.g.

Il a un chat blanc et deux chiens noirs.

He has a white cat and two black dogs.

J’ai un stylo rouge.

I have a red pen.

In contrast, adjectives which are non-descriptive (demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative, negative, and possessive) are situated before the noun:

Est-ce que tu as mon stylo? (example of the possessive)

Do you have my pen?

L’acteur Liam Neesson joue dans quel film? (example of the interrogative)

Which film does the actor Liam Neesson star in?

Tu n’as aucun raison d’tre fch. (example of the negative)

You have no reason for being angry.

Ce vlo est moi. (example of the demonstrative).

This bike is mine.

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Adverbs

An adverb is a word which serves to describe or alter a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Adverbs usually provide further information with reference to notions such as time, manner, location, frequency, or quantity.

Many words ending in ‘-ment’ are adverbs; this suffix replaces the ‘-ly’ in many English adverbs, for example:

gnralement (meaning ‘generally’)

normalement (meaning ‘normally’)

When an adverb is describing a verb, it comes after the verb in the sentence.

e.g.

Il conduit vite pour arriver l’heure.

He is driving fast to get there on time.

Boire beaucoup d’alcool nuit gravement la sant.

Drinking a lot of alcohol is very damaging to one’s health.

Comparative and superlative

These types of adverbs allow for a comparison to be drawn between two or more things. Superlatives indicate an extreme.

Comparatives indicate when something is more or less than something, or sometimes that they are equal.

e.g.

plus poliment (meaning ‘more politely’)

moins vite (meaning ‘less fast’ i.e. ‘slower’)

mieux que (meaning ‘better than’)

autant que (meaning ‘as much as’)

Superlatives indicate when something is the most or the least of all comparisons.

e.g.

Il est le meilleur joueur de son quipe.

He is the best player of his team.

Mon pre achte toujours les produits les moins chers.

My father always buys the cheapest products.