Haut/Haute et Bas/Basse

Aashpreet K.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Haut/Haute et Bas/Basse

What about haut/haute (high) and bas/basse (low) ? Do they come before a noun or after?

Asked 1 year ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Aashpreet,

Thank you for your question! It is true that "haut-haute / bas-basse" can come before or after the noun so they've been removed from this lesson.

Usually, when they are after the noun, "haut-haute / bas-basse" take an "objective" meaning (aka, their literal meaning) whereas when "haut-haute / bas-basse" are before the noun, they mean something figurative:

un bâtiment haut = a tall building

une table basse = a coffee table (low)

un haut fonctionnaire = a senior official / a senior civil servant

une basse vengeance = a petty revenge

 

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Haut/Haute et Bas/Basse

What about haut/haute (high) and bas/basse (low) ? Do they come before a noun or after?

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