Opposites and changing word forms in French

• The prefixesin- and im- can change the meaning of a French word to make it mean its opposite.

• Suffixes can be added to a verb stem to make it into an adjective.

• Suffixes can also be added to a verb stem to make it into a noun.

• Suffixes can be added to some adjectives to make them into an adverb.

• Higher Tier only – Agent nouns can be created from a verb stem.

Some prefixes in French can change the meaning of a word, in order to form its opposite.

Where the English equivalent is un-, in-, im- and means ‘opposite of’, in- or im- can be added to the start of French adjectives, adverbs and nouns.

For example:

également – equally ➜ inégalement – unequally

sécurité – security ➜ insécurité – insecurity

possible – possible ➜ impossible – impossible

Suffixes can be used at the start of some French words to change the part of speech:

• Adjectives can be created by adding -able or -eable to the verb stem, only where the English equivalent is -able or -ible.

For example:

porter – to wear/carry ➜ portable – portable

changer – to change ➜ changeable – changeable

• Nouns can be created by adding -ion or -ation to the verb stem, only where the English equivalent is -ion or -ation.

For example:

progresser – to progress ➜ progression – progression

préparer – to prepare ➜ préparation – preparation

• Adverbs ending in -ment can be created where the English equivalent is -ly. Add ment to the feminine form of adjectives.

For example:

première – first ➜ premièrement– firstly

• Drop -ant(e)/-ent(e) from an adjective and add -amment/-emment.

For example:

courant – current/common ➜ couramment – currently/common

patient – patient ➜ patiemment– patiently

Practise what you've learned about opposites and changing word forms with this quiz.

Agent nouns can be created in French by adding -eur or -ateur to a verb stem.

For example:

porter – to carry/wear ➜ porteur – carrier

consommer – to consume ➜ consommateur – consumer

Now you’ve learned about opposites and changing word forms in French, why not explore asking questions in French?