La place de l'adjectif (un grand homme / un homme grand)
P48.articles-and-agreement.13 · Audience: guest, language-pro, it-ml
Unité GR-11 · campagne 7 · la place de l'adjectif change le sens.
Russian lets an adjective sit comfortably before its noun in almost every case — большой дом, старый друг. French splits the territory: the default position is after the noun (une voiture italienne, une décision importante), and a small club of short, frequent adjectives — beau, grand, petit, bon, jeune, vieux, joli, nouveau — habitually goes before it (un petit appartement, une jolie ville).
The interesting cases are the adjectives that accept both positions with two different meanings. Before the noun the sense is figurative or subjective; after the noun it is literal and concrete:
| Adjective | Before the noun | After the noun |
|---|---|---|
| grand | un grand homme — a great man | un homme grand — a tall man |
| ancien | mon ancien collègue — my former colleague | un meuble ancien — an antique piece |
| propre | sa propre voiture — his own car | une chemise propre — a clean shirt |
| cher | chère Marie — dear Marie | un restaurant cher — an expensive one |
| vrai | une vraie histoire — a real/proper one | une histoire vraie — a true story |
| pauvre | le pauvre homme — the unfortunate man | un homme pauvre — a man without money |
A useful reading habit: when you meet one of these adjectives before the noun, suspect the figurative sense first. Victor Hugo est un grand homme says nothing about his height; c'est un homme grand says nothing about his place in history. And remember the W1 rule that travels with the pre-noun club: plural des becomes de in front of them — de grands hommes, de vraies histoires.
The practice makes you choose the position from the intended meaning, which is exactly the decision Russian never forces you to make.
Loading the exercise...
Checking your progress...
Ask the mentor about this module
Ask a question about this content. The mentor explains and grounds its answer in what you are studying; asking is recorded as a learning signal, not a grade.
Where next?
Continue
Noms collectifs et accord : la plupart, une dizaine, tout le monde →Articles & Agreement (written) · P48
Later in Articles & Agreement (written)