french grammar query

[Patf]

When writing a noun preceded or followed by an adjective, or by the ?adjectival form of a verb, do these all have to agree with the noun?

eg nos jolies poules blanches , or nos joli poules blanc.

And

nous avons arrivées , or nous avons arrivé?

[YCCMB]

They should agree....and it's nous sommes arrivés - unless the "nous" in question is a group of females, in which case it's arrivées (because arriver takes être, and verbs which take être in the passé composé need to agree with the subject). If, OTOH, it's a verb that takes avoir, then it doesn't need to agree, except in certain circumstances with which I won't bore you at this early hour.

[Patf]

Thanks Betty. I had a feeling it could be être not avoir with arriver.

When you're speaking these errors can be glossed over, mumbled, but in writing they must be glaringly obvious to a french person.

[woolybanana]

Betty is wrong in one thing: A group of females never agrees, cannot agree, is not programmed for agreement, even though it might appear to do so. This is called the "masked diagreement" in French Grammar, in which what you write/say and reality are somewhat different from reality!