1. Unit 3 Labo-langue Position and agreement of adjectives
Impersonal structures
Verb + preposition + infinitive

2. Position and agreement of adjectives
Unit 3: Labo-langue
Position and agreement of adjectives
In French, most adjectives go after the noun, for example colour adjectives: mon smartphone bleu, ma tablette noire.
However, there are some that go in front of the noun, such as nouveau (new) and vieux (old): mon nouveau portable, mon vieux portable.
Adjectives of size go in front of the noun too: un grand écran, un petit écran.
Masculine singular
Before vowel or silent h
Feminine singular
Masculine plural
Feminine plural
old
vieux
vieil
vieille
vieilles
new
nouveau
nouvel
nouvelle
nouveaux
nouvelles
big
grand –
grande
grands
grandes
blue
bleu
bleue
bleus
bleues
© Oxford University Press 2015

3. Impersonal structures
Unit 3: Labo-langue
Impersonal structures
Impersonal structures are invariable (they don’t change). They are followed by a preposition (such as de) and an infinitive, or just by an infinitive.
Il est nécessaire de comprendre ... It is necessary to understand ...
Il est essentiel de limiter ... It is essential to limit …
Il faut traiter les autres ... You must treat others …
Impersonal structures that begin with il est can also begin with c’est. C’est is less formal than il est and is usually used when speaking; il est is usually used in writing.
(Usual) written form Il est important de se protéger sur Internet.
(Usual) spoken form C’est important de se protéger sur Internet.
© Oxford University Press 2015

4. Verb + preposition + infinitive
Unit 3: Labo-langue
Verb + preposition + infinitive
Some verbs are followed by a preposition:
passer du temps à to spend time arrêter de to stop
The verb that follows the preposition is always in the infinitive:
Je passe du temps à écouter de la musique en ligne. I spend time listening to music online.
J’ai arrêté de jouer à des jeux en ligne. I have stopped playing games online.
© Oxford University Press 2015