Feminine adjectives: -el, -er, -f, -eux

What this is about: making adjectives feminine

In French, many adjectives change spelling to agree with a feminine noun (une destination, une idée, une collègue).

• Masculine: naturel, cher, actif, heureux…
• Feminine: naturelle, chère, active, heureuse…

These changes are very regular for the endings in your table.

Step-by-step: how to choose the correct form

1. Find the noun the adjective describes (destination, côte, offre…).
2. Check its gender: masculine or feminine.
3. Apply the right ending pattern (see below).
4. Self-check: Does the adjective match the noun (not the speaker)?

The 9 common spelling patterns (from the table)

What students often miss

• Double consonants matter: naturel → naturelle (not naturele).
• Accents can appear: cher → chère (not chere and not chére).
• It’s agreement with the noun, not your opinion or who is speaking:
  Une destination est naturelle (even if a man says it).

Mini self-check: can you justify your choice?

• Can you point to the noun? une île → feminine
• Do you recognize the ending? naturel ends in -el
• Do you apply the pattern correctly? -el → -elle → naturelle

One key exception to notice (job titles)

Some nouns ending in -eur change to -rice in the feminine:

• acteur → actrice

Tip: this is not the same pattern as adjectives like heureux → heureuse (that’s -eux → -euse).

Model phrases you can reuse (adult, practical)

• Une offre chère, mais très utile.
• Une équipe active pendant le projet.
• Une méthode complète et claire.
• Une solution publique (dans le secteur public).
• Une collègue heureuse du résultat.