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BAGS adjectives: standing before the noun

When you start learning French, one of the first rules you memorize is that adjectives go after the noun. In English, you say a blue car, but in French, it becomes a car blue. This position after the noun becomes so ingrained that English speakers often try to put absolutely every French adjective after the noun.

However, there is a very common set of exceptions. A small group of short, frequently used adjectives steps right back in front of the noun, placing them exactly where you would expect them in English. To remember which ones they are, you just need to think of the acronym BAGS: Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size.

Word list
beaumA1 beautiful un bel homme = a beautiful man, une belle femme = a beautiful woman bonmA1 good un bon repas = a good meal courtmA1 short un court trajet = a short trip courtmA1 short un court séjour = a short stay excellentmA1 great un excellent repas = an excellent meal grandmA1 big une grande maison = a big house hautmA1 tall une haute tour = a tall tower, un haut mur = a tall wall (aspirated h: no liaison) jeuneA1 young une jeune fille = a young girl longmA1 long un long voyage = a long trip mauvaismA1 bad une mauvaise idée = a bad idea meilleurmA1 better mon meilleur ami = my best friend, un meilleur prix = a better price nouveaumA1 new un nouvel ami = a new friend, une nouvelle voiture = a new car petitmA1 small un petit chien = a small dog superA1 great un super film = a great movie (informal, never changes form) vieuxmA1 old un vieil arbre = an old tree, une vieille maison = an old house brefmA2 short un bref séjour = a short stay, une brève visite = a short visit gentilmA2 kind un gentil garçon = a kind boy grosmA2 fat un gros chat = a fat cat mauvaismA2 incorrect la mauvaise réponse = the wrong answer pireA2 worse la pire idée = the worst idea plus mauvaismA2 worse une plus mauvaise note = a worse grade plus petitmA2 smaller une plus petite maison = a smaller house hautmB1 high une haute température = a high temperature, à haute voix = aloud tout petitmB1 tiny un tout petit chien = a tiny dog vraimB1 real un vrai ami = a real friend moindreB2 smaller le moindre problème = the slightest problem vilainmB2 naughty un vilain garçon = a naughty boy
The BAGS Rule

The acronym BAGS is a simple rule of thumb to help you identify which adjectives come before the noun. If an adjective describes Beauty, Age, Goodness, or Size, it is highly likely to stand before the noun it describes. Let us look at how this works in practice.

C'est une très belle maison.
(It is a very beautiful house.)
Il a un bon travail.
(He has a good job.)

In both of these examples, the adjectives belle (beautiful) and bon (good) jump in front of their nouns, just as they do in English.

Meeting the Adjectives

Let us break down the BAGS categories and look at the most common adjectives in each group.

Beauty

Words describing how something looks, such as beau (beautiful, handsome) and the related word joli (pretty).

Nous avons acheté une jolie lampe.
(We bought a pretty lamp.)
Age

Adjectives describing how old or new something is, like jeune (young), vieux (old), and nouveau (new).

Je vois un jeune garçon dans le parc.
(I see a young boy in the park.)
Elle conduit une nouvelle voiture.
(She drives a new car.)
Goodness

Adjectives that pass a judgment on quality, primarily bon (good) and mauvais (bad).

Aller là-bas est une mauvaise idée.
(Going there is a bad idea.)
Size

Short adjectives that describe physical dimensions, such as grand (big, tall), petit (small), gros (fat, thick), and long (long).

J'habite dans une petite maison.
(I live in a small house.)
Mon voisin a un gros chat.
(My neighbor has a fat cat.)
C'est un long voyage.
(It is a long journey.)
Watch Out: Vowel Changes

When placing these adjectives before the noun, you need to be careful with three specific BAGS adjectives: beau, nouveau, and vieux. If the following noun is masculine singular and begins with a vowel or a silent H, these adjectives change their spelling to make pronunciation smoother.

  • beau becomes bel
  • nouveau becomes nouvel
  • vieux becomes vieil
C'est un vieil ami de la famille.
(He is an old friend of the family.)
Marc est un bel homme.
(Marc is a handsome man.)

Notice how the changed form allows your voice to flow effortlessly from the consonant sound right into the vowel of the noun.

Summary

While you should generally place French adjectives after the noun, remember that a handful of common ones break this rule. Keep the acronym BAGS in mind: Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size. When you use adjectives that fit these categories, trust your English instincts and confidently place them before the noun.