An indefinite adjective gives general information about a noun without specifying an exact number or amount. English uses words such as some, several, each, all, and no.
French indefinite adjectives can express quantity, indicate how people or things are distributed within a group, or show that none are present.
For indefinite adjectives that express other meanings, see Other indefinite adjectives.
Indefinite adjective forms
French uses several indefinite adjectives to express quantity, absence, or distribution. Some have different forms for gender or number. Others use a single form.
These adjectives change form:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| tout, toute, tous, toutes | all, every, the whole |
| aucun, aucune | no, not any |
| certains, certaines | some, certain |
| autre, autres | other, another |
These adjectives keep the same form:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| quelques | a few, some |
| plusieurs | several |
| chaque | each, every |
Their meaning also depends on the context.
These adjectives distinguish between part of a group, every member, the whole group, and the absence of people or things:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Quelques étudiants sont absents. | A few students are absent. |
| Plusieurs personnes attendent. | Several people are waiting. |
| Chaque enfant a un livre. | Each child has a book. |
| Tous les magasins sont ouverts. | All the shops are open. |
| Je n'ai aucune question. | I have no questions. |
| Certaines personnes sont parties. | Some people have left. |
| D'autres étudiants arrivent. | Other students are arriving. |
The examples show different ways to refer to part of a group, every member, an entire group, or none at all.
Quelques and plusieurs: unspecified quantities
Quelques and plusieurs refer to an unspecified number of people or things. Both are used with plural nouns and have the same form with masculine and feminine nouns.
Quelques means a few or some. Plusieurs means several and usually refers to a larger number:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai quelques amis à Paris. | I have a few friends in Paris. |
| Elle a acheté quelques livres. | She bought a few books. |
| Plusieurs étudiants sont arrivés. | Several students arrived. |
| Nous avons visité plusieurs villes. | We visited several cities. |
Quelques is the plural form of quelque. Before a vowel or silent h, its final -s is pronounced as a z sound through liaison, as in quelques‿amis.
Chaque: each or every
Chaque refers to every member of a group one at a time. It has the same form with masculine and feminine nouns and is always followed by a singular noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Chaque étudiant a un livre. | Each student has a book. |
| Chaque personne reçoit une invitation. | Every person receives an invitation. |
| Elle travaille chaque matin. | She works every morning. |
Because chaque refers to one member at a time, the noun remains singular. When that noun is the subject, the verb is singular too.
Tout: all or the whole
Tout can refer to a whole thing or to all the members of a group. This differs from chaque, which considers the members one at a time.
For information on how adjectives agree with the noun, see Adjective agreement.
As an indefinite adjective, tout agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes. Its form changes according to the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| tout | all, the whole (masculine singular) |
| toute | all, the whole (feminine singular) |
| tous | all (masculine plural) |
| toutes | all (feminine plural) |
When tout refers to a whole thing or group, it generally appears before a definite article:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| tout le groupe | the whole group |
| toute la classe | the whole class |
| tous les étudiants | all the students |
| toutes les étudiantes | all the female students |
The singular forms refer to one whole thing, while the plural forms refer to all the members of a group.
Tous and toutes with time expressions
In time expressions, tous les and toutes les can mean every, much like chaque:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| tous les jours | every day |
| toutes les nuits | every night |
| tous les matins | every morning |
| toutes les semaines | every week |
To express an interval that includes a number, use tous les or toutes les rather than chaque:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| chaque deux jours | tous les deux jours |
| chaque trois semaines | toutes les trois semaines |
For example, tous les deux jours means every two days.
Aucun: not any or not a single one
Aucun expresses the complete absence of people or things. It agrees in gender with the noun and is generally singular:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| aucun | no, not any (masculine) |
| aucune | no, not any (feminine) |
In a negative sentence, aucun normally appears with ne and without pas. The position depends on whether aucun is part of the object or the subject:
ne +
These patterns work whether aucun follows the verb or appears with the subject:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je ne connais aucun étudiant. | I don't know any students. |
| Elle n'a aucune idée. | She has no idea. |
| Aucun étudiant n'est venu. | Not a single student came. |
| Aucune réponse n'a été donnée. | No answer was given. |
When aucun appears with the subject, ne still appears before the verb.
Certains and certaines: some
Certains and certaines refer to an unspecified part of a larger group. They agree in gender with the plural noun they describe:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| certains | some (masculine plural) |
| certaines | some (feminine plural) |
The form depends on the gender of the group:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Certains étudiants sont absents. | Some students are absent. |
| Certaines personnes préfèrent rester. | Some people prefer to stay. |
Unlike chaque or tout, these forms refer only to part of a group, not every member.
D'autres: other or additional
Autre refers to someone or something different or additional. The form autre is the same for masculine and feminine nouns, while autres is plural:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un autre | another (masculine) |
| une autre | another (feminine) |
| d'autres | other, additional (plural) |
Use d'autres before a plural noun for an unspecified number of additional or different people or things:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'attends un autre étudiant. | I'm waiting for another student. |
| Elle cherche une autre solution. | She's looking for another solution. |
| J'attends d'autres étudiants. | I'm waiting for other students. |
| Nous avons d'autres questions. | We have other questions. |
In the indefinite plural construction, use d'autres rather than des autres:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| J'attends des autres étudiants. | J'attends d'autres étudiants. |
| Nous avons des autres questions. | Nous avons d'autres questions. |
Des autres is possible in other constructions when des is the contraction of de and les, as in les livres des autres étudiants (the other students' books).
From learning to practice
When reading or listening to French, notice how indefinite adjectives distinguish between individuals, parts of a group, entire groups, and absence. Pay particular attention to noun agreement and the difference between singular and plural forms.
Practice using quelques, plusieurs, chaque, tout, aucun, certains, and d'autres to describe people, objects, routines, and everyday situations.