Irregular Adjectives (beau/bel/belle, nouveau, vieux)

While most French adjectives follow predictable patterns for agreement, several very common adjectives are irregular — their forms must be memorised. These irregular adjectives appear in everyday French so frequently that mastering them is essential.

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The "Big Three" Irregular Adjectives

Three adjectives are particularly notable because they have five distinct forms instead of the usual four:

Beau (beautiful/handsome)

Form	Usage	Example
beau	masc. singular (before consonant)	un beau garçon
bel	masc. singular (before vowel/silent h)	un bel homme
belle	feminine singular	une belle femme
beaux	masculine plural	de beaux garçons
belles	feminine plural	de belles femmes

Example sentences:

• C'est un beau jour. — It is a beautiful day.
• Quel bel arbre ! — What a beautiful tree!
• Paris est une belle ville. — Paris is a beautiful city.
• Nous avons de beaux souvenirs. — We have beautiful memories.
• Elle a de belles robes. — She has beautiful dresses.

Nouveau (new)

Form	Usage	Example
nouveau	masc. singular (before consonant)	un nouveau livre
nouvel	masc. singular (before vowel/silent h)	un nouvel ami
nouvelle	feminine singular	une nouvelle amie
nouveaux	masculine plural	de nouveaux livres
nouvelles	feminine plural	de nouvelles amies

Example sentences:

• J'ai un nouveau travail. — I have a new job.
• C'est un nouvel appartement. — It is a new flat.
• Voici ma nouvelle voiture. — Here is my new car.
• Il y a de nouveaux étudiants cette année. — There are new students this year.
• J'ai de nouvelles idées. — I have new ideas.

Vieux (old)

Form	Usage	Example
vieux	masc. singular (before consonant)	un vieux monsieur
vieil	masc. singular (before vowel/silent h)	un vieil ami
vieille	feminine singular	une vieille dame
vieux	masculine plural	de vieux messieurs
vieilles	feminine plural	de vieilles dames

Example sentences:

• Mon vieux chat dort toute la journée. — My old cat sleeps all day.
• C'est un vieil hôtel charmant. — It is a charming old hotel.
• Ma grand-mère est une vieille dame adorable. — My grandmother is an adorable old lady.
• Il collectionne de vieux timbres. — He collects old stamps.
• Elle porte de vieilles chaussures. — She wears old shoes.

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Why Do the Special Forms Exist?

The forms bel, nouvel, and vieil exist for phonetic reasons. In French, it would be difficult and unnatural to pronounce beau homme or vieux arbre without a smooth link between the words. The special forms ending in -l create a more natural liaison with the following vowel:

• un beau homme → awkward → un bel homme (/œ̃ bɛl ɔm/)
• un nouveau ami → awkward → un nouvel ami (/œ̃ nuvɛl ami/)
• un vieux arbre → awkward → un vieil arbre (/œ̃ vjɛj aʁbʁ/)

Remember: The special forms are ONLY used before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h. In all other cases, use the standard forms.

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Other Common Irregular Adjectives

Bon (good) and Mauvais (bad)

These adjectives are regular in their agreement but have irregular comparatives and superlatives (covered in later lessons):