Adjectives that go before the noun

Lulu P.A1Kwiziq community member

Adjectives that go before the noun

Salut! Je m'appelle Lulu. J'ai une question a propos mon quiz. 

 

I was asked to put a check mark next to the sentences that had the correct order of the adjective. I did not put a check mark on the following sentence: "un ogre grand comme une maison" because according to the lesson, the adjective "grand" is placed before the noun, but in this sentence the adjective "grand" is after the noun and it was marked as wrong. Could you please explain why I got it wrong? I am confused about this grammar rule. Merci beaucoup.

Asked 8 months ago
Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Lulu, 

Adjectival positioning is a bit more complicated in French  !

Have a look at the attached lessons - description number 4 is relevant in the first link, and its precedence over 'before noun' positioning is further explained in the 2nd link.

An adjective followed by a complement as in '.... grand comme un ogre ', is an example of adjectives needing to be placed after the noun,  regardless of whether they would otherwise usually go before the noun.

As per the detail in the 2nd link, this situation could be remembered as ' an exception to the exception ' that certain adjectives (eg BAGS ) usually go before the noun. 

There are more 'anomalies' in adjectival positioning to encounter as you go along, but they will gradually fall into place .

 Adjectives usually go AFTER nouns in French (Position of Adjectives) 

Position of French Adjectives - Short and common adjectives that go BEFORE nouns

Jim J.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Bonjour Lulu

"according to the lesson"  Which lesson? You have not included a link to the Kwiziq question or lesson.

This suggests that you are seeking help with your homework, but the Forum does not provide this service.

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/community-guidelines

Jim

Lulu P.A1Kwiziq community member

Salut Jim! I'm sorry for not including the link. I thought that my question was going to be answered by Aurelie Drouard. This is the link I am referring to: Position of French Adjectives - Short and common adjectives that go BEFORE nouns

I am just starting to learn how to navigate and use all the features that are available.

Salut Marteen! Merci beaucoup for your thorough explanation. I am from Mexico and Spanish grammar is very similar to French so I understand how complicated some adjectives can be. We constantly change the order of the words in a sentence. Thanks again for your input. I will look into the links you kindly sent to me. 

Adjectives that go before the noun

Salut! Je m'appelle Lulu. J'ai une question a propos mon quiz. 

 

I was asked to put a check mark next to the sentences that had the correct order of the adjective. I did not put a check mark on the following sentence: "un ogre grand comme une maison" because according to the lesson, the adjective "grand" is placed before the noun, but in this sentence the adjective "grand" is after the noun and it was marked as wrong. Could you please explain why I got it wrong? I am confused about this grammar rule. Merci beaucoup.

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Clever stuff happening!