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Nouns and adjectives -- placement
Generally, adjectives follow nouns:
C'est un livre amusant. (It's an entertaining book.)
Le bébé a besoin d'une chaise haute. (The baby needs a high chair.)However, certain common adjectives precede the noun. They include bon, mauvais, grand, petit, jeune, vieux, long, beau, faux, gros, nouveau, joli:
Ce bourgogne est encore un bon vin. (This burgundy is still a good wine.)
Il a joué une fausse note. (He played the wrong note.)A few adjectives change meaning when placed before the verb. Generally, it is thought that when placed after the verb, these verbs retain their literal meaning; placed before it, they take on a figurative sense:
mon ancien professeur / mon professeur ancien (my former professor / my aged professor)
ma propre chambre / ma chambre propre (my own room / my clean room)
un grand homme / un homme grand (a great man / a big man)
le seul voyageur / un voyageur seul (the only traveler / a solitary traveler)Related topic:
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