Predicative Adjectives

CONTENT
  1. Predicative Adjectives
  2. Stative Verbs

There are quite a few rules when it comes to adjectives in French. But did you know that French adjectives also function differently? Just as in English, they can refer directly to a noun or serve as a predicative of the subject.

Native

Translation

La fille semble grande.

The girl seems tall.

Predicative Adjectives

In French, there are two types of adjectives: les adjectifs épithètes and les adjectifs attributs. The latter ones are called predicative adjectives in English.

Rule 1: The predicative adjective is connected to the noun through a stative verb. Usually, the verb être is used. In this case, the adjective is placed after the conjugated verb.

Native

Translation

La maison est petite.

The house is small.

Stative Verbs

Rule 2: There are several stative verbs in French - all of them can be used with predicative adjectives.

être to be
paraître to seem
sembler to seem
devenir to become
demeurer to remain
rester to stay
avoir l’air to look like
passer pour pass for