French adjectives change to agree in gender and number with the nouns that they modify, which means there can be up to four forms of each adjective:
Adjective: joli (pretty)
Masculine singular   joli
Feminine singular   jolie
Masculine plural   jolis
Feminine plural   jolies
In English, adjectives are always found in front of the noun, but most French adjectives follow the noun they modify:
un livre vert - green book
un professeur intelligent - smart teacher
But there are some French adjectives that precede the noun:
un beau garçon - handsome boy
un petit verre - small glass
In English, adjectives virtually always precede the nouns they modify: a blue car, a big house. In French, adjectives may be placed before or after the noun, depending on their type and meaning.
1. Placement after the noun
Most descriptive adjectives are placed after the noun they modify. These normally have an analytical meaning, in that they classify the noun into a certain category. These types of adjectives include shape, color, taste, nationality, religion, social class, and other adjectives that describe things like personality and mood.
une table ronde - round table
un livre noir - black book
du thé sucré - sweet tea
une femme américaine - American woman
une église catholique - Catholic church
une famille bourgeoise - middle-class family
In addition, present participles and past participles used as adjective are always placed after the noun.
une histoire intéressante - interesting story
un débat passionné - lively debate
2. Placement before the noun
Certain adjectives are placed before the noun, some which you can memorize with the acronym “BAGS”:
Beauty
Age
Good and bad
Size (except for grand with people - see 3, below)
These descriptors - and a few others - are considered inherent qualities of the noun:
une jolie fille - pretty girl
un jeune homme - young man
une nouvelle maison - new house
un bon enfant - good child
un petit problème - small problem
les sincères condoléances - sincere condolences
les vagues promesses - vague promises
un gentil garçon - kind boy
3. Placement depends on meaning
Some adjectives have both a figurative and an analytic (literal) sense and can thus be placed on either side of the noun. When the adjectives is figurative, it goes before the noun, and when it’s analytic, it goes after the noun.
Figurative:  mes vertes années   my green (fruitful) years
Literal:  des légumes verts   green vegetables
Figurative:  un grand homme   a great man
Literal:  un homme grand   a tall man
Figurative:  un triste individu   a sad (mean or bad) person
Literal:  un individu triste   a sad (crying) person
Figurative:  mon ancienne école   my old (former) school
Literal:  mon école ancienne   my old (aged) school
Figurative:  un certain regard   a certain (type of) look
Literal:  une victoire certaine   a certain (assured) victoryHere’s a little test on French indefinite adjectives. Translate these phrases into French or English, as appropriate.
1. each time
2. certain things 3. all the girls 4. other ideas 5. several teachers 6. quelque distance 7. autre bicyclette 8. plusieurs fois 9. chaque maison 10. tous les hommesAnswers (in reverse words)
1. siof euqahc
2. sesohc seniatrec                                                                                                                          3. sellif sel setout                                                                                                                      4. seédi sertau                                                                   5. sruesseforp srueisulp
6. ecnatsid emos
7. ekib rehto
8. semit lareves                                                                 9. esuoh hcae
10. nem eht lla
