Please confirm. The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil are used before a noun that begins with a VOWEL. This rule does not apply to a noun that begins with an H? Par exemple: Regarde ces vieux hommes. Merci.
Look at these adjectives:
Tom est beau, mais Henri et Bob sont très beaux.
Tom is handsome, but Henri and Bob are very handsome.
Yvette est belle, mais Leila et Belinda sont très belles.
Yvette is beautiful, but Leila and Belinda are very beautiful.
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
It's a beautiful animal among beautiful animals.
Note that to form the masculine plural, adjectives ending in -eau add -x, and vieux doesn't change.
As for the feminine plural, it is regular and simply takes an -s.
BUT
The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil (when in front of a vowel) become the regular masculine plural beaux, nouveaux and vieux.
Examples and resources
"Plurals in French" by www.frenchspanishonline.com
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
It's a beautiful animal among beautiful animals.
Regarde ces vieux hommes et ces vieilles femmes.
Look at these old men and these old women.
Yvette est belle, mais Leila et Belinda sont très belles.
Yvette is beautiful, but Leila and Belinda are very beautiful.
Ce vieil arbre est à côté de ces vieux arbres.
This old tree is next to these old trees.
Tom est beau, mais Henri et Bob sont très beaux.
Tom is handsome, but Henri and Bob are very handsome.
Mon nouvel ami s'entend bien avec mes nouveaux amis.
My new friend gets along with my new friends.
J'ai acheté de nouveaux bols et de nouvelles assiettes.
I bought some new bowls and some new plates.
Q&A Forum 6 questions, 11 answers
Unfortunately, this question has no black and white answer, because there are to versions of "h": h aspiré and h muet.
The h aspiré counts as a consonant, which means that there are no contractions with it. Words that fall into that category are, for example: le héros, le hamster, le hasard, ....
H muet, on the other hand is moot (=muet) and therefore contracts: l'hôtel, l'herbe, l'histoire, ...
Here is a list of words for a start: http://www.aidenet.eu/grammaire01ac.htm
Also, as explained in the lesson, that rule doesn't apply to plural nouns:
The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil (when in front of a vowel) become the regular masculine plural beaux, nouveaux and vieux.
The point is that the "x" can be pronounced if necessary, as in the case of "vieux hommes".
White asked:View original
Rule for Nouns beginning with H
Please confirm. The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil are used before a noun that begins with a VOWEL. This rule does not apply to a noun that begins with an H? Par exemple: Regarde ces vieux hommes. Merci.
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C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
In the example,
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
why is the 'de' not plural for 'des', as we are talking about 'some beautiful animals'?
Asked 5 months ago
Hi John,
It is a little grammatical rule which is explained in the following lesson -
Hope this helps!
John asked:View original
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
In the example,
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.
why is the 'de' not plural for 'des', as we are talking about 'some beautiful animals'?
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from before
Is this right
Les nouveaux voisins sont arrives.
Les nouvelles voisines sont arrives.
Sorry I can't work the accent for arrives.
Asked 8 months ago
ChrisCorrect answer
You need to accord the participle to the subject:
Les nouveaux voisins sont arrivés.
Les nouvelles voisines sont arrivées.
Janet asked:View original
from before
Is this right
Les nouveaux voisins sont arrives.
Les nouvelles voisines sont arrives.
Sorry I can't work the accent for arrives.
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Good Morning Teachers and helpers. I have a question about neighbours in the feminine plural.
Asked 8 months ago
Janet asked:View original
Good Morning Teachers and helpers. I have a question about neighbours in the feminine plural.
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Sorry bols not bowls spell checker can't cope with French spelling! Nor would it embolden each 'des'.
Je crois que "des" devient "de" devant les adjectifs que se placent devant le nom? Peut-être je me trompe.
AurélieKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Anne !
Sar is right, and here is a link to our related lesson:
https://french.kwiziq.com/revision/grammar/use-de-d-instead-of-des-in-front-of-adjectives-preceding-nouns-partitive-article
À bientôt !
Anne asked:View original
Pourquoi il n'est pas 'J'ai acheté des nouveaux bowls et des nouvelles assiettes?'
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Is it 'nouveaux araignees' rather than 'nouvelles araignees' ?
(feminine noun starts with a vowel)
Asked 10 years ago
LauraKwiziq language super star
Bonjour Matthew,
No, you're a bit mixed up.
Per the note at the bottom of the lesson: "The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil (when in front of a vowel) become the regular masculine plural beaux, nouveaux and vieux."
Feminine nouns always use their feminine forms; it's only singular masculine ones that have the special form.
Matthew asked:View original
Is it 'nouveaux araignees' rather than 'nouvelles araignees' ?
(feminine noun starts with a vowel)
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