First off, an adjective is a word that gives information about a noun.

There are two types of adjectives in French: qualificative adjectives [adjectifs qualificatifs]-- they serve to indicate a quality possessed by the noun they describe --> "un joli vélo" [a nice bicycle].

Unlike in English, French qualificative adjectives are often placed after the noun: "un homme courtois"  [a courteous man] / un magasin ouvert [an open store]. When they precede the noun ["un joli vélo"], they usually deal with beauty, size, age-related adjectives or connote a special meaning (more on this later in another lesson).

The other type of adjectives fall under the category of determiners -- they give information about the scope of reference of a noun, i.e., gender, number, person, possession, demonstratives, etc. They are either definite or indefinite and always precede the nouns. "mon père" [my father] (definite)/ "certains romans" [some books] (indefinite).

A final note -- determining adjectives are much fewer than their qualificative counterparts.

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Below, you will find some examples of qualificative and determining adjectives. They are underlined for your convenience.

1. Elle porte une jolie robe rouge. She is wearing a nice red dress.
2. Cette fleur bleue est belle. This blue flower is beautiful.
3. Il y avait quelques personnes à la soirée. There were a few people at the party.
4. Où est mon ballon de foot? Where is my soccer ball?
5. Les personnes malades vont à l'hôpital. Sick people go to the hospital.

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