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Adjective Agreement: Number

FoundationHigherAQA

Master Adjective Agreement: Number for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). Most adjectives add -s in the plural, while -al becomes -aux in the masculine plural.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

Adjectives must also agree in number, adding -s for a plural noun, on top of any gender change.

So un livre vert gives des livres verts, and une voiture verte gives des voitures vertes. The feminine plural takes both changes: -e for gender, then -s for number.

Adjectives already ending in -s or -x do not add another: un livre gris gives des livres gris, and un homme heureux gives des hommes heureux. Adjectives ending in -al become -aux in the masculine plural: un problème national gives des problèmes nationaux. As with nouns, the plural -s is silent.

Revision notes

The basic rule

Add -s for a plural noun, after any gender change.

Vert gives verts for masculine plural, and vertes for feminine plural — the -e for gender then the -s for number.

Adjectives that do not add -s

Those already ending in -s or -x stay the same in the masculine plural.

Gris gives gris. Heureux gives heureux. The feminine plural still adds -es: grises, heureuses.

-al becomes -aux

Adjectives ending in -al take -aux in the masculine plural.

National gives nationaux, principal gives principaux. The feminine plural is regular: nationales. This mirrors the noun pattern of journal and journaux.

Key points

  • Add -s for a plural noun.
  • Gender change comes before number change.
  • The feminine plural takes -es.
  • Adjectives ending in -s or -x do not add another.
  • -al becomes -aux in the masculine plural.
  • The plural -s is silent.

Worked examples

Example 1

Give the feminine plural of vert. [2 marks]

Working

vertesadd -e for gender then -s for number
Both changes apply: the -e for feminine and the -s for pluralexplain the two steps

Example 2

Give the masculine plural of gris. [2 marks]

Working

grismake no change
Adjectives already ending in -s do not add another in the masculine pluralexplain the rule

Example 3

Give the masculine plural of national. [2 marks]

Working

nationauxchange the -al ending to -aux
This mirrors the noun pattern of journal becoming journauxexplain the pattern

Common mistakes

  • Adding -s to adjectives ending in -s or -x.

    Gris stays gris in the masculine plural.

  • Adding -s to -al adjectives.

    They become -aux.

  • Forgetting the gender change before the plural.

    Feminine plural is -es, not just -s.

  • Pronouncing the plural -s.

    It is silent.

Exam tips

  • Apply gender first, then number.
  • Check whether the adjective ends in -s or -x.
  • Learn -al/-aux for adjectives as well as nouns.
  • Remember the plural -s is silent.

Key terms

Number
Whether a noun is singular or plural.
Feminine plural
Taking both -e and -s.
-aux
The masculine plural of -al adjectives.
Invariable
Not changing, as gris does not in the masculine plural.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.