The adjective that changes meaning
CEFR B1 · part 1
edumaterial's parts within the level. The European framework does not subdivide them.
When French needs the subjunctive (and when it does not)Forming the present subjunctive and, above all, knowing when it is not used even though…Past participle agreementAgreeing the participle with être always, and with avoir only when the direct object…Reporting what someone saidTurning a sentence into reported speech, changing tense, person and time or place markers.Connectors that are not synonymsChoosing the connector that says what you mean, knowing that ones from the same list are…Obligation and prohibitionSaying that something is compulsory, forbidden, or simply not necessary.tout, chaque, quelque, plusieursChoosing the right form of tout, and not pluralising what is always singular.The rule, in three lines
Half a dozen adjectives mean one thing before the noun and another after. Un ancien professeur is a former teacher; un professeur ancien is an elderly one. So work ancien, grand, propre, seul, cher and pauvre. Before comes the figurative sense; after, the literal one.
The usual slip. Always putting them after, because that is the general rule, and saying «un professeur ancien» when you meant «a former teacher».
Why it catches you out. English cannot do this at all: the adjective always comes before the noun, and the difference is made with different words — former against elderly, own against clean. So there is nothing you can carry over, and you have to learn each pair.