Position of Adjectives in French

In French, adjective placement is more flexible than in English. Here are the key rules

1. General Rule: After the Noun

Most descriptive adjectives come after the noun:

• le ciel bleu (the blue sky)
• une table ronde (a round table)
• un film français (a French film)

2. Key Exception: Short Common Adjectives (Before the Noun)

These often express subjective qualities and can be remembered with BAGS (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) or BRAGS (adding Rank/Order):

Category	Examples	Before Noun
Beauty	beau, joli	un beau paysage (a beautiful landscape)
Age	jeune, vieux, nouveau	un vieux château (an old castle)
Goodness	bon, mauvais, meilleur	une bonne idée (a good idea)
Size	grand, petit, gros	une petite maison (a small house)

Other Common Pre-Noun Adjectives:

• autre, premier, dernier, même, prochain
  • le premier jour (the first day)
  • la même histoire (the same story)

3. Adjectives That Change Meaning Based on Position

Some adjectives have different meanings before vs. after the noun:

Adjective	Before Noun (Figurative/Subjective)	After Noun (Literal/Objective)
ancien	mon ancien professeur (my former teacher)	un meuble ancien (an antique piece)
grand	un grand homme (a great man)	un homme grand (a tall man)
pauvre	un pauvre enfant (a pitiful child)	un enfant pauvre (a poor child)
propre	ma propre voiture (my own car)	une voiture propre (a clean car)
seul	un seul problème (only one problem)	un enfant seul (a lonely child)

4. Stylistic Variations

Sometimes, adjectives shift position for emphasis or poetic effect, but the rules above cover 90% of daily usage.
Pro Tip:
When in doubt, check our Conjugation and Declension tool for correct forms.