Formation of Plural Adjectives in French

The plural form of French adjectives is generally straightforward, but there are some special cases to note. The basic rule is that the plural is formed from the singular (masculine or feminine) form of the adjective.

General Rule: Add "-s"

• petit → petits
• grande → grandes

Special Cases (Mainly for Masculine Plural)

• Masculine singular ending in "-s", "-x", "-z":
  • No change in masculine plural
  • français → français (but française → françaises)
  • heureux → heureux (but heureuse → heureuses)
• Masculine singular ending in "-eau":
  • Add "-x" in masculine plural
  • beau → beaux (but belle → belles)
  • nouveau → nouveaux (but nouvelle → nouvelles)
• Masculine singular ending in "-al":
  • Often becomes "-aux" in masculine plural
  • général → généraux (but générale → générales)
  • Exceptions: banal → banals, fatal → fatals, etc.
• Adjective "tout":
  • tout, toute, tous, toutes

Invariable Adjectives (No Change in Gender or Number)

• Colors derived from nouns: orange, marron (e.g., des jupes orange)
• Compound colors: bleu clair (e.g., des yeux bleu clair)
• Certain words: chic, super, sympa (e.g., des gens sympa)

Important Notes

• These rules apply to the singular form (masculine or feminine) to create the plural.
• The feminine plural almost always adds "-s" to the feminine singular form.
• For verification, use our Conjugation and Declension tool.