What makes a language Romance or Germanic? The answer is simple: count the number of elements (vocamulary and grammar, weight factor of both vocab and grammar has to be 50/50) that stem from classical Latin and from Archaic Germanic. If more than 50% of the elements stem from Latin, then the language is Romance, if not, the language is Germanic.
Please note: if the origin of an element is not proven, it has not to be counted.
"(and never in colloquial speech)"
You cannot be more wrong.
it's not difficult at all because the syntax in Romance languages is very easy and not strict at all
Syntax may be very hard sometimes, particularly verb syntax. Please stop talking nosense in this forum
" Hrmm, are you sure about that? I always thought that some French adjectives like bon and petit always came before the noun "
No, you did not thought well. most adjectives in french should come AFTER the noun. "bon" and "petit" (also with "grand" and some others) are part of these adjectives that can go before OR after the noun, depending of the case (which should be learned by heart) :
for exemple we should say: " Un homme bon" but "un bon gâteau".
"Un gâteau bon" sounds weird, and "un bon homme" means somthing different.
another exemple is "grand". when applyed to an object should generally better be BEFORE the noun (un grand avion), but when speaking of a man it should be AFTER the noun: "un homme grand" (a tall man), if we say "un grand homme" it doesn't mean that the man is tall, that that he is a great man... different meanings.
these "exceptional adjectives" should be learn by hart to know how to place them, and to have a good knoledge of the language. But outside of these quite few adjectives that can go after or before the noun (we must reming that exception are often the most commonly used adjectives, the same way irregular verbs are the most used ones), the other adjectives, and always comes after the noun, unless to try to make a literary effect (that doesn't work with most adjectives).
ex: if you see "hypochondriaque", you can be sure it is placed AFTER the noun; that if the rule in romance languages (while it would be the inverse in germanic): "une fille hypochondriaque" and not "une hypochondriaque fille".
or: "acide désoxyribo-nucléique" (ADN), and not "desoxiribo-nucléique acide" as germanic languages do. (DNA)
or: "organisation des nations unies" (ONU) and not "unies nation organisation" like in germanic languages
you often have more than on adjective:
"objet volant non-identifié" (OVNI), and not "non-identifié volant objet" (NIVO) as the germanic language say (unidentified flying object)
etc.
"But I don't know about the other Romance languages. "
In spanish, like in french, the common rule is that adjectives come after the noun. Like in french there are a list of commonly used adjectives that can come before of after the noun depending of the case or of the meaning. Like in french the word "gran/grande" can go either after of before the nound, depending of the case or of the wished effect:
(depending of if that adjective is after or before the noun, it even change its form: gran or grande): "un gran hombre", "un hombre grande", "una gran casa", "una casa grande", etc.