French Adjectives That Change Meaning Before or After the Noun
all
regular
-e
-en
-on
-ou
-el
-l
-al
-er
-et1
-et2
-eau
-eur1
-eur2
-eur3
-eux
-c1
-c2
-f
-s
-x
irregular
invariable
prenominal
double position
comparatives & superlatives
past participle
present participle
ordinal
antonyms
appearance
colours
emotions
fashion
food
nationalities
personalities
weather
Some French adjectives can appear either before or after the noun, but carry a different meaning depending on their position. Before the noun they tend to have a figurative or subjective sense; after the noun a more literal one. For example: un grand homme (a great man) vs. un homme grand (a tall man).
| ancien / ancienne | former / old, ancient | |
| certain / certaine | some, a certain / sure, certain | |
| cher / chère | dear, beloved / expensive | |
| dernier / dernière | final, last in a series / latest, most recent | |
| grand / grande | great / tall, big | |
| pauvre | poor, unfortunate / poor (financially) | |
| propre | own / clean | |
| seul / seule | only / alone | |
| simple | mere / simple |