Quantifiers are adverbs that answer the question combien ?(how much/many?)
Le boulanger a vendu beaucoup de pains de campagne.
The baker sold a lot of farmhouse bread.
French Articles
What are quantifiers and intensifiers in French?
By: Agnés Finot Fri Aug 30 2024
In French, intensifiers and quantifiers are words like beaucoup(a lot), très(very), or extrêmement(extremely). They are adverbsNo definition set for adverbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and they’re a great tool for enriching your sentences. You will use quantifiers and intensifiers when you want to add extra meaning to the nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adjectiveNo definition set for adjectiveLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., or other adverb that you are describing. For example, can you see how using different quantifiers can not only make your sentence more interesting, but also change the meaning of the sentence? Take a look:
Cette nouvelle série est ennuyeuse !
This new series is boring!
Cette nouvelle série est assez ennuyeuse !
This new series is quite boring!
Cette nouvelle série est très ennuyeuse !
This new series is very boring!
In this article, you will learn some very common French quantifiers and intensifiers — including a few very familiar ones 😉. You will also learn how to use them and where to place them in the sentence.
Vous allez voir, c’est super intéressant !
You’ll see, it’s very interesting!
Table of Contents
Quantifiers in French: What are they and how to use them?
The most common French quantifiers are:
beaucoup (de)
much, a lot (of)
assez (de)
quite, enough, plenty of
moins (de)
less, fewer
plus (de)
more
autant (de)
so much, as much as
peu (de)
little, not much/many
trop (de)
too, too much
pas mal (de)
quite, quite a lot of
These quantifiers should be used as adverbs to modify nouns, verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs in French.
What are quantifiers in French?
Quantifiers are French adverbs that are used to discuss estimated quantities. Let’s look closer at these two things you need to know about French quantifiers:
Quantifiers describe an approximate quantity, so they are like numbers, but not as precise.
Tip
Quantifiers are adverbs, so like other French adverbs, their form never changes.
Exception!
The adverb tout(very, completely) does have to agree with the genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of the adjectives it modifies, but only if that adjective is feminine and starts with a consonant or an aspirated h.
Les pom-pom girls étaient toutes honteuses d’avoir raté leur pyramide.
The cheerleaders were all ashamed to have failed their pyramid.
vs.
Les pom-pom girls étaient tout excitées d’avoir réussi leur pyramide.
The cheerleaders were all ashamed to have failed their pyramid.
Check out this article about tout to find out more!
How to use quantifiers in a French sentence?
When using a quantifier in a French sentence, the quantifier will almost always come after the conjugatedNo definition set for conjugatedLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. verb. Here is how to position the quantifier in a French sentence:
Word Order | Example |
|---|---|
verb + quantifier + adjective | Marina était très drôle. Marina was very funny. |
verb + quantifier + adverb | Je cours de moins en moins souvent. I run less and less often. |
verb + quantifier (+ de) + noun | Ils auront tellement de chance ! They will be so lucky! |
verb + quantifier | Il travaille beaucoup. He works a lot. |
Exception!
In compound tenses, quantifiers (used without a noun) are placed between the auxiliaryNo definition set for auxiliaryLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and the past participleNo definition set for past participleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Son cerf-volant a presque touché l’arbre !
His kite nearly touched the tree!
Tip
The word order for quantifiers in French is different from in English, so watch out for these common mistakes:
❌J’aime la salsa beaucoup.
✅J’aime beaucoup la salsa.
I like salsa a lot.
❌Elle parle le français très bien.
✅Elle parle très bien le français.
She speaks French very well.
Important
Beaucoup de or beaucoup des?
The prepositionNo definition set for prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. de used with quantifiers is different to the partitive article de meaning “some.” So its form is usually invariable, even if the noun it is followed by is plural.
J’ai beaucoup de copains.
I have many friends.
Most of the time, you will use beaucoup(a lot) + de/d’(of) + noun.
⚠However, when you are talking about something specific to say, “a lot of the…,” you use de with the definite article le, la, or les. In that case, de will contract with the definite articleNo definition set for definite articleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and can take several forms:
Beaucoup des copains d’Arthur sont sympas.
A lot of Arthur’s friends are nice.
J’ai supprimé beaucoup des e-mails que j’avais reçus de cette marque de chaussure.
I deleted many of the emails I had received from this shoe brand.
Beaucoup de la farine vendue chez ce producteur est bio.
A lot of the flour sold by this producer is organic.
Tip
De becomes d’ in front of a vowel or silent h.
What are the most common French quantifiers?
Finally, here is a recap of the most common French quantifiers with examples. Or, have a look at this more extensive list of French quantifiers!
Quantifier | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
beaucoup | much, a lot | C’est vrai que le patron aime beaucoup le rock ? Is it true that the boss likes rock music a lot? |
beaucoup de + noun | many, a lot of | En Indonésie, on parle beaucoup de langues. In Indonesia, many languages are spoken. |
assez | quite, enough | Ma nouvelle collègue est assez gentille. My new colleague is quite nice. |
assez de + noun | enough, plenty of | Stop ! Tu as mis assez de sucre ! Stop! You put in enough sugar! |
moins | less | Il pleut moins aujourd’hui. It’s raining less today. |
moins de + noun | fewer | Je trouve qu’il y a moins de chaussures en soldes cette année. I find that there are fewer shoes on sale this year. |
plus | more | Je prends ce pull, il est plus chaud. I’m taking this sweater, it’s warmer. |
plus de + noun | more | Pourquoi est-ce qu’il reçoit plus d’argent de poche que moi? Why does he receive more pocket money than me? |
autant | so much | Pourquoi est-ce qu’il parle autant ? Why does he speak so much? |
autant de + noun | as much as | Ce mois-ci, il y a autant de demandeurs d’emplois que le mois dernier. This month there are as many job seekers as last month. |
peu | little | Ils sont peu venus l’année dernière. They didn’t come often last year. |
peu de + noun | not much, not many | Il y a peu de places assises. This month there are as many job seekers as last month. |
trop | too | Malheureusement, vous êtes trop petite pour devenir hôtesse de l’air. Unfortunately, you are too small to become a flight attendant. |
trop de + noun | too much | Il y a trop de bruit ici. This month there are as many job seekers as last month. |
pas mal | quite | T’es pas mal grand pour ton âge! You’re quite tall for your age! |
pas mal de + noun **informal** | quite a lot | Il y avait pas mal de circulation sur l’autoroute. This month there are as many job seekers as last month. |
Exception!
There are a few adverbs referring to quantity that are only used in conjunction with numbers:
environ*(about), à peu près(around), and approximativement
Pour notre mariage, nous aurons approximativement 90 invités.
For our wedding, we will have approximately 90 guests.
⚠Note: Since it is a common mistake, I’d like to remind you that environ(about) ≠ vers(around). Vers is a preposition, not an adverb, so it cannot be used with numbers:
❌Il y a vers 30 personnes.
✅Il y a environ 30 personnes.
There are about 30 people.
Now that we have covered quantifiers, let's take a look at intensifiers!
What are the most important intensifiers in French?
The most important and common of all French intensifiers is très(very). Other common intensifiers are adverbs ending in -ment, like vraiment(really). They are placed before an adjective or an adverb to strengthen or weaken its meaning, or on their own after a verb to modify it.
In this second part, we are going to look at all forms of intensifiers, including some informal intensifiers, and intensifiers used with a prefix.
How to use ‘très’ and ‘fort’ (very)
In French, très and fort are both used to say “very.” Of the two, fort is more formal, less common, and more literal.
Cette conférence sur les trous noir était fort intéressante !
This conference on black holes was very interesting!
Here is how you can use both adverbs in a sentence with adjectives, adverbs, or nouns:
Adverb structure | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
très + adjective | Hier, il faisait très nuageux. | Yesterday, it was very cloudy. |
fort + adjective | Mon voisin est fort ennuyeux. | My neighbor is very boring. |
très + adverb | Il écrit très vite. | He writes very fast. |
fort + adverb | Il a habité ce village pendant fort longtemps. | He lived in this village for a very long time. |
très + noun | Ils ont très faim. | They are very hungry. |
fort + noun | J’ai eu fort peur. | I was very scared. |
What are the adverbs ending in ‘-ment’?
Tellement(so), extrêmement(extremely), merveilleusement(marvelously), or divinement(beautifully) are all examples of adverbs ending in -ment that are used as intensifiers.
Fancy learning a few informal ones to sound like a native? Here we go: vachement(really), rudement(seriously), or drôlement (very).
For even more intensity, try adding an adjective or the adverb bien after the adverb:
adjective
Ma nouvelle machine rend le linge impeccablement propre !
My new machine makes the laundry impeccably clean!
adverb
Maria Callas chantait prodigieusement bien !
Maria Callas sang prodigiously well.
adjective
Tu as goûté ce plat ? Il est drôlement bon !
Have you tried this dish? It's really good!
Exception!
You shouldn’t use an intensifier with an adjective that has a superlative meaning, such as admirable(admirable), délicieux(delicious), excellent(excellent), horrible(horrible), or magnifique(wonderful).
How to use ‘trop’ (very) in informal French
In informal French, trop means “very” or “really,” even though it officially means “too (much).” Using trop informally this way can really help you sound like a native. Look:
Regarde cet acteur, il est trop beau !
Look at this actor, he’s so handsome!
Let’s have a look at how we can use trop with another popular expression: c’est stylé(it’s great).
Écoute ce morceau, c’est trop stylé !
Listen to this track, it’s really amazing!
How to use ‘si,’ ‘tellement,’ and ‘tant’ (much)?
Si, tellement, and tant(much) can be used on their own or with que(that) after an adjective.
Une chambre dans cet hôtel est tellement chère qu’il a décidé de ne rester qu’une nuit.
A room in this hotel is so expensive that he decided to stay only one night.
How to use intensifier “prefixes” in French?
While they are not technically prefixesNo definition set for prefixesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., there are certain French words which can be used before adjectives as an intensifier, and they function quite similarly to an English prefix like “mega.” In speaking, it’s common to use these French intensifiers, such as ultra(ultra), hyper(very, extremely), or super(very). These are only added to adjectives.
Cet exercice de maths est hyper facile.
This math exercise is super easy.
In brief
When you’re looking to enrich your French sentences with quantifiers and intensifiers, remember what we’ve learned in this post! Here’s a recap:
Quantifiers and intensifiers are adverbs which bring extra information to an adjective, an adverb, a noun, or a verb.
If you wish to use a quantifier to modify a noun, you must use the preposition de after the adverb (not all adverbs can be used with de — check out our list of common quantifiers and intensifiers to remember which can be used with de in French!)
Adverbs have one single form (they don’t agree in gender or number), except for tout.
The most common quantifiers and intensifiers are beaucoup(a lot), trop(too much; so (informal)), très(very), assez(quite), peu(little), and pas mal(quite a lot).
You are now ready to test your skills with these French quantifier and intensifier exercises! Bonne chance(good luck)!
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