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Adjectives - Nationalities and Colours

French adjectives can change form and position. Practise describing people and places using nationalities and colours, and learn how to make your French sound more natural.

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Fascinating Fact:

Some nationality adjectives look the same for masculine and feminine, like belge (Belgian).

In KS3 Fast French, you learn how adjectives work so you can give clear descriptions. Nationalities and colours are common in speaking and writing, and they often need the right ending to match the noun. You also need to know where an adjective goes in a sentence, because French word order can be different from English.

Key Terms

Adjective: A describing word that gives more information about a noun, such as its colour or nationality.
Agreement: When an adjective changes to match the gender and number of the noun it describes.
Invariable adjective: An adjective that does not change spelling for masculine, feminine, singular, or plural in most sentences.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Do French nationality adjectives need capital letters?

In French, nationality adjectives are usually not capitalised (for example, un garçon français). A capital letter is used for the country name, such as la France.

Where do colour adjectives go in a French sentence?

Most colour adjectives come after the noun, such as une voiture rouge. Some describing words can go before the noun, but colours are commonly placed after it.

How do I make French adjectives feminine and plural?

Many adjectives add -e for feminine and -s for plural, but the spelling depends on the word. Learning common patterns helps you choose the correct form quickly.

Try These Related Quizzes

In each question you will be given a word or words in English. All you have to do is choose the French equivalent from the four choices offered.

1 .

Pink

Rouge

Rose

Violet

Violette

Rouge = red
Violet = purple (masculine noun)
Violette = purple (feminine noun)

2 .

Austrian (to describe a girl / woman)

Américaine

Autrichienne

Américain

Autrichien

Américaine = American (feminine)
Américain = American (masculine)
Autrichien = Austrian (masculine)

3 .

White (to describe a feminine noun)

Blanc

Bleu

Bleue

Blanche

Blanc = white (masculine noun)
Bleu = blue (masculine noun)
Bleue = blue (feminine noun)

4 .

Gold

Orange

Grise

Gris

Orange = orange
Grise = grey (feminine noun)
Gris = grey (masculine noun)

5 .

British

Belge

Anglais

Britannique

Anglaise

Belge = Belgian
Anglais = English (masculine)
Anglaise = English (feminine)

6 .

Welsh

Portugais / portugaise

Allemand / allemande

Grec / greque

Gallois / galloise

Gallois = Welsh (masculine)
Galloise = Welsh (feminine)
Portugais = Portuguese (masculine)
Portugaise = Portuguese (feminine)
Allemand = German (masculine)
Allemande = German (feminine)
Grec = Greek (masculine)
Greque = Greek (feminine)

7 .

Brown

Marron

Noir

Noire

Jaune

Noir = black (masculine noun)
Noire = black (feminine noun)
Jaune = yellow

8 .

Light (to describe a colour e.g. ‘light brown’)

Clair

Foncé

Vert

Verte

Foncé = dark
Vert = green (masculine noun)
Verte = green (feminine noun)

9 .

Swiss

Suède

Français

Suisse

Française

Suède = Sweden
Français = French (masculine)
Française = French (feminine)

10 .

Scottish

Espagnol / espagnole

Irlandais / irlandaise

Écossais / écossaise

Italien / italienne

Écossais = Scottish (masculine)
Écossaise = Scottish (feminine)
Espagnol = Spanish (masculine)
Espagnole = Spanish (feminine)
Irlandais = Irish (masculine)
Irlandaise = Irish (feminine)
Italien = Italian (masculine)
Italienne = Italian (feminine)

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - French

Author: Graeme Haw