French Noun Phrases

What Is a Noun Phrase in French?

In French, une location nominale(a noun phrase) is a group of words that, all together, function as a noun and can be the subject of a verb in a sentence. A noun phrase can be made up of common nouns or proper nouns and can be as simple as two nouns linked together by a preposition.

However, noun phrases may also include other parts of speech, like adjectives, verbs, other nouns, or a full descriptive clause. Some noun phrases can be quite complex, as you’ll see in the last section of this article. Read on to see some examples of basic types of noun phrases you’re likely to encounter in French!

Examples of French Noun Phrases

There are three basic types of noun phrases that you are likely to come across as you are learning about nouns in French: noun phrases that include a preposition, noun phrases that include an adjective, and noun phrases that include a descriptive clause.

French Noun Phrases With Prepositions

The prepositions à(in or to), de(of or from), and en(in or to) are all commonly used in noun phrases, though the prepositions usually do not translate literally in English. The prepositions link one noun to another noun, typically to describe what a noun is composed of, what it can do, or how it is used, resulting in a noun phrase.

French Noun Phrases With Adjectives

Some French noun phrases are made up of a noun with a descriptive adjective that indicates a particular feature, aspect, or function of the noun, resulting in a noun phrase.

French Noun Phrases With Descriptive Clauses

Sometimes, a noun phrase may include a descriptive clause introduced by a relative pronoun like qui(which or that) or que(which or that). In these cases, a verb is used to describe the noun, resulting in a noun phrase.

How to Use a Noun Phrase in French

Noun phrases are used in a sentence just like any other common noun or proper noun. They can be singular or plural, masculine or feminine, and/or the subject or the object of a verb. Just keep in mind that when a noun phrase is the subject of a verb, other parts of speech will agree in gender and number with the main noun in the phrase. The main noun is the noun that is doing the action of the verb.

To illustrate this, take a look at the sample sentences below. The first example uses a noun phrase with a main noun that is feminine plural in French: pommes de terre(potatoes). The second example uses a noun phrase with a main noun that is feminine singular in French: purée de pommes de terre(potato purée or mashed potatoes) as the subject of the sentence.

How to Make a French Noun Phrase Plural

There are some straightforward rules for making a noun phrase plural.

Rules for Making a French Noun Phrase Plural

What is the Difference Between a Noun Phrase and a Compound Noun in French?

Like a noun phrase, a compound noun is a noun made up of two or more words. Both noun phrases and compound nouns function as nouns in a sentence. The words in compound nouns are sometimes combined into one word or, more often, linked together by a hyphen. Here are a few examples of French compound nouns.

The main difference between a noun phrase and a compound noun is that there are different rules about how to make compound nouns plural.

Rules for Making a French Compound Noun Plural

What Is a Complex Noun Phrase?

Sometimes, a noun phrase can be a complex group of words that functions as a noun and can be the subject or the object of a sentence. In French, these are called groupes nominaux, while in English they're sometimes referred to as noun groups. Here some examples of increasingly complex noun phrases that are the subject of the verb être(to be). Note that in all of these examples, the main noun professeur(professor) dictates the conjugation of the verb être in the third-person singular and dictates the masculine singular form of the adjective gentil(nice), even though there are other nouns in the phrase that are feminine or plural.