It’s worth mentioning that the position of the same adjective in French (and other Romance languages) can vary, affecting the meaning to any degree from connotational nuance to literal denotation. A general rule taught to foreigners is that placing the adjective before the noun tends to suggest that the quality characterizes all members of the class denoted by the noun, while placing it after characterizes the individual specifically. (An example from the delightful old version of Teach Yourself French that sticks in my mind is savant professeur vs. professeur savant.)
Sometimes the adjective is placed before the noun as a kind of rhetorical flourish, as in assoluta innocenza, an Italian phrase I’ve had occasion to use.
Ah, that makes sense, though I can’t think of that many constructions where that rule works: “Un curieux animal” and “un animal curieux” mean different things (“a curious-looking animal” and “an animal that seems to feel curious”), and I think that’s a one-off rule more than an instance of a general rule.
I suspect some adjectives “naturally” go in front of the noun (those Alicorn listed), but you can put them behind it for extra emphasis; the rest always go behind. With a lot of idiomatic exceptions like “curieux” which means something different depending on whether it’s before or after the noun.
It’s worth mentioning that the position of the same adjective in French (and other Romance languages) can vary, affecting the meaning to any degree from connotational nuance to literal denotation. A general rule taught to foreigners is that placing the adjective before the noun tends to suggest that the quality characterizes all members of the class denoted by the noun, while placing it after characterizes the individual specifically. (An example from the delightful old version of Teach Yourself French that sticks in my mind is savant professeur vs. professeur savant.)
Sometimes the adjective is placed before the noun as a kind of rhetorical flourish, as in assoluta innocenza, an Italian phrase I’ve had occasion to use.
Ah, that makes sense, though I can’t think of that many constructions where that rule works: “Un curieux animal” and “un animal curieux” mean different things (“a curious-looking animal” and “an animal that seems to feel curious”), and I think that’s a one-off rule more than an instance of a general rule.
I suspect some adjectives “naturally” go in front of the noun (those Alicorn listed), but you can put them behind it for extra emphasis; the rest always go behind. With a lot of idiomatic exceptions like “curieux” which means something different depending on whether it’s before or after the noun.
Don’t forget that event-related idioms can skew meaning as well...