6 Word order in French: adjectives
In the early stages of a beginners’ French course, you’ll start by learning some words and key phrases for communicating basic information, like your name and where you come from. When you reach the point of forming your own phrases and sentences, you will learn some grammar rules about word order, as this can differ between languages.
In Week 3, you learned some words (adjectives) for colours in French. Look at the two phrases below. What do you notice?
Example _unit5.6.1
a green tree
un arbre vert
This example illustrates the fact that in English adjectives are always placed before the noun, whereas in French most adjectives (but not all of them!) are placed after the noun. Try applying this knowledge in the next activity.
Activity _unit5.6.1 Activity 6 Place the adjective
Practise using adjectives in French by translating the phrases below. Use the drop down boxes to put the words in the right order.
1. a green tree
2. a blue bike
3. a red apple
4. a yellow sock