Mission: get your lost suitcase back
Describe things and people: adjectives before and after the noun, beau, nouveau, vieux, and ce, cette, ces.
FrenchA2 · Everyday lifeAbout 5 min: 2 reading, 3 practiceUpdated
- Put most adjectives after the noun and the common short ones before it
- Use the irregular beau, nouveau, vieux (bel, nouvel, vieil before a vowel)
- Point with ce, cet, cette, ces
- Describe an object by size, colour, material and age
Everyday life, A2: lesson 2 of 6
- A2 · Everyday life
- Mission: sort out the bathroom rota with your flatmate 5 min
- Mission: get your lost suitcase back 5 min
- Mission: help a friend choose between two flats 5 min
- Mission: plan Mum's birthday with your brother 5 min
- Mission: shop at the Saturday market 5 min
- Mission: change your plans without upsetting anyone 6 min
Try first
You haven't learned this yet, so guess. Guessing before you read helps the explanation stick. Nothing here is scored.
Already know this? Take a 3-question check and skip ahead.
Get all three right and the lesson is marked done.
Level Level A2 (around the DELF A2 exam). Real French: describing a lost bag at the airport desk.
What it is
Your mission: you've landed in Nice, but your suitcase hasn't. At the lost-luggage desk, Malik asks you to describe it: size, colour, what it's made of, and anything special about it.
Where adjectives go. Most go after the noun: une valise noire, un sac léger. A small group of very common, short ones go before: grand, petit, bon, mauvais, beau, joli, jeune, vieux, nouveau: une grande valise, un petit sac.
Three irregular adjectives have a special form before a masculine noun starting with a vowel:
| Masc. | Before a vowel | Fem. |
|---|---|---|
| beau | bel | belle |
| nouveau | nouvel | nouvelle |
| vieux | vieil | vieille |
So: un bel hôtel, une belle vue; un nouvel ami, une nouvelle valise; un vieil homme, une vieille veste.
This, that, these: ce (masculine), cet (masculine before a vowel), cette (feminine), ces (plural): ce sac, cet ordinateur, cette valise, ces clés.
Describing an object: colour (bleu, noir, rouge), material with en: en cuir (leather), en tissu (fabric), en plastique; size: grand / petit; age: neuf (brand new), vieux.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"A beautiful hotel"
- Before a masculine vowel sound, beau becomes bel
- beau goes before the noun
Show answer
un bel hôtel. beau → bel before a vowel: un bel hôtel.
Why it matters
Losing something, buying something, or finding someone in a crowd all need a clear description. Getting adjective position and ce / cette right is also one of the clearest signs of A2 French, in speech and in writing.
Worked example
At the desk:
- Malik: Elle est comment, votre valise ?
- You: C'est une grande valise bleue, en tissu, avec quatre roues. Elle est assez vieille.
- Malik: Il y a quelque chose de spécial ?
- You: Oui, il y a une petite étiquette rouge sur la poignée.
- Malik: Cette valise-là ?
- You: Non, ce n'est pas ma valise. La mienne est bleue.
Real French: Elle est comment ? (What's it like?) is the everyday way to ask for a description. And -là after a noun points at something: cette valise-là (that suitcase there).
Common mistake
Putting every adjective before the noun, as in English: wrong: une bleue valise. Colours, nationalities and most adjectives go after: une valise bleue.
And ce before a vowel: wrong: ce ordinateur → cet ordinateur.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"A new phone" (téléphone, masculine)
- nouveau usually goes before the noun
- nouvel is only before a vowel sound
Show answer
un nouveau téléphone. nouveau + consonant: un nouveau téléphone.
Key terms
- ce, cet, cette, ces
- this / that, these / those
- beau (bel), belle
- beautiful
- nouveau (nouvel), nouvelle
- new (to you)
- vieux (vieil), vieille
- old
- neuf, neuve
- brand new
- en cuir / en tissu
- (made of) leather / fabric
- Elle est comment ?
- What's it like?
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 7 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| ce, cet, cette, ces | this / that, these / those |
| beau (bel), belle | beautiful |
| nouveau (nouvel), nouvelle | new (to you) |
| vieux (vieil), vieille | old |
| neuf, neuve | brand new |
| en cuir / en tissu | (made of) leather / fabric |
| Elle est comment ? | What's it like? |
Practice
Sort it
Before or after the noun?
grand
une grande valiseShow answer
Before. une grande valise
noir
un sac noirShow answer
After. un sac noir
petit
un petit sacShow answer
Before. un petit sac
français
un film françaisShow answer
After. un film français
beau
un beau jardinShow answer
Before. un beau jardin
léger
un sac légerShow answer
After. un sac léger
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« … ordinateur est neuf. »
- Before a vowel sound, ce becomes cet
- ordinateur is masculine
Show answer
Cet. cet + masculine noun starting with a vowel.
"An old man"
- Before a vowel sound (h is silent), vieux becomes vieil
- homme is masculine
Show answer
un vieil homme. vieux → vieil before a vowel sound.
Build the sentence
Build "It's a big black leather bag."
Show answer
C'est un grand sac noir en cuir.. grand before, noir after, then en + material.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Malik, an agent at the lost-luggage desk of Nice airport. Speak naturally but clearly, at level A2. Start with « Bonjour. Elle est comment, votre valise ? ». Ask one question at a time about size, colour, material, age and anything special, then describe two suitcases you've found ("Cette valise-là ?") until one matches. I will make up my answers. After each answer, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch adjective position and ce / cet / cette. When I have given size, colour, material and one special detail, and recognised my suitcase, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Most adjectives go after the noun; grand, petit, bon, beau, jeune, vieux, nouveau go before.
- bel, nouvel, vieil before a masculine vowel sound.
- ce, cet (before a vowel), cette, ces.
- Material: en cuir, en tissu, en plastique.
- Ask: Elle est comment ?
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
How do you say "this flat" (appartement, masculine)?
Show answer
cet appartement.
Feminine of nouveau?
Show answer
nouvelle.
Where does rouge go: before or after the noun?
Show answer
After: un sac rouge.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: A2 exercises on describing objects and people.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.