What is an indefinite adjective?
An indefinite adjective is one of a small group of adjectives that are used to talk about people or things in a general way without saying exactly who or what they are, for example, several, all, every.
- In French, this type of adjective comes BEFORE the noun it refers to. Here are the most common French indefinite adjectives:
| Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural | Meaning |
| autre | autre | autres | autres | other |
| chaque | chaque | - | - | every, each |
| même | même | mêmes | mêmes | same |
| - | - | quelques | quelques | some, a few |
| tout | toute | tous | toutes | all, every |
| J’ai d’autres projets. | I’ve got other plans. |
| J’y vais chaque année. | I go every year. |
| J’ai le même manteau. | I have the same coat. |
| Il a quelques amis à Paris. | He has some friends in Paris. |
| Il reste quelques bouteilles. | There are a few bottles left. |
| Il travaille tout le temps. | He works all the time. |
TipYou can also use tout to talk about how often something happens.
| tous les jours | every day |
| tous les deux jours | every other day |
- Note that these words can also be used as pronouns, standing in place of a noun instead of being used with one. chaque and quelques have a slightly different form when they are used in this way.
Key points
- The most common French indefinite adjectives are autre, chaque, même, quelques and tout.
- They come before the noun when they are used in this way.