Adjectives: special agreements

Color adjectives: decide first, then (maybe) agree

With colors, the key question is not gender/plural first. It is:

1. Is it a simple color adjective? (blanc, noir, bleu, vert, rouge…)
2. Or is it a color from a noun (orange, marron…) or a compound color (bleu clair, vert foncé…)?

How to self-check agreement for simple colors (fast method)

1. Find the noun: murs, fleurs, chemise…
2. Identify gender + number: mur = masculine, fleur = feminine; plural if it ends in -s / -x.
3. Apply endings if it is a simple color:

Example: des murs (masc. plural) → des murs blancs.

Common trap: “orange(s)”

• For the color, French usually keeps it invariable:

  des rideaux orange (not oranges)

• oranges is normally the fruit (or the trees), not the color.

One exception to remember: some noun-based color words are used like normal adjectives and can agree, e.g. rose (commonly: des chemises roses).

“Demi” (half): position decides everything

With demi, don’t guess. Look at its position:

• Writing tip: before the noun, you normally write it as one unit: demi- + noun.
• Plural tip: in “X + noun + et demi”, you do not add -s to demi:

  deux lits et demi (not demis)

Numbers: ordinal vs cardinal (a simple split)

Another quick decision:

• Cardinal numbers = how many (two, twenty…) → invariable.
• Ordinal numbers = which rank (first, second…) → agree like adjectives.

One-minute checklist before you speak

• Color: simple (agree) or noun/compound (invariable)?
• Demi: before the noun (invariable + hyphen) or after the noun (agree)?
• Number: cardinal (invariable) or ordinal (agree)?

If you can answer those 3 questions, you’ll choose the correct form almost every time.