Adjectives That Change Meanings according to Placement
January 15, 2012 § Leave a comment
These adjectives have one meaning when they precede the noun, and a different meaning when they follow the noun.
Adjective – Meaning Before – Meaning After
ancien – former – ancient
brave – good – brave
grand – noble, good – tall
propre – own – clean
pauvre – pitiful – poor
différent – various, lots of – different, contrary
cher – dear – expensive
méchant – naughty, bad – mean
certain – specific, particular – sure
nouveau – new – brand new, just made
dernier – the very last one – the most recent one
sale – nasty – dirty
Examples
Un ancien amant versus une horloge ancienne
Un brave garçon versus un soldat brave
Ses propres affaires versus son pull-over propre
Une sale histoire versus les mains sales
Ma chère amie versus un bijou cher
Un méchant garçon versus un chien méchant
Une méthode différente versus différentes personnes
French Notes 
Leave a Reply