French · Chapter 18 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Adjective position and meaning shift
Where an adjective sits changes its meaning: un ancien ami (a former friend) vs un meuble ancien (an antique), un grand homme (a great man) vs un homme grand (a tall man), ma propre voiture vs une voiture propre.
The short version
After the noun is the safe bet
French parks most adjectives after the noun, which is the reverse of English: une voiture rouge, un livre intéressant. Only a small closed set goes in front, the BAGS group (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size). If you are unsure, put it after the noun; that guess is wrong far less often than the English instinct.
une voiture rouge
Move the adjective, change the claim
About a dozen common adjectives mean one thing before the noun and another after it, and the pattern is reliable: in front the sense is figurative, behind it is literal. Un grand homme is a great man; un homme grand is a tall one. Ancien, cher, propre and pauvre all split the same way.
Victor Hugo était un grand homme.
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