Words such as very, quite, too, and almost change the strength or degree of a description in English.
French uses degree adverbs in similar ways. Some modify adjectives or other adverbs, while others appear with verbs or quantities.
Degree and intensity
Degree adverbs show how strong, complete, sufficient, or limited something is. The word they modify determines which adverb fits the sentence.
Different degree adverbs express different relationships to a scale or limit:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| très grand | very big |
| assez grand | big enough, quite big |
| trop grand | too big |
| presque prêt | almost ready |
| à peine visible | barely visible |
Some degree words strengthen a description, while others show that something reaches, exceeds, or falls short of a particular point.
Très, beaucoup, and bien
Très, beaucoup, and bien can all strengthen meaning, but they do not normally appear in the same grammatical contexts.
Très commonly modifies adjectives and adverbs:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| très intéressant | very interesting |
| très difficile | very difficult |
| très rapidement | very quickly |
| très souvent | very often |
Beaucoup commonly modifies verbs and quantities:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Elle travaille beaucoup. | She works a lot. |
| J'aime beaucoup ce livre. | I like this book a lot. |
| Nous avons beaucoup de temps. | We have a lot of time. |
| Il voyage beaucoup. | He travels a lot. |
Bien normally means well when it modifies a verb. Before some adjectives, it can also strengthen the description with a meaning such as very or quite:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Elle chante bien. | She sings well. |
| Je suis bien content. | I am very pleased. |
| C'est bien difficile. | It's quite difficult. |
| Il habite bien loin. | He lives very far away. |
Bien does not replace très freely. Its intensifying use occurs with particular adjectives and expressions.
Assez and suffisamment
Assez and suffisamment can both express that something reaches the necessary degree.
The two words can describe a sufficient amount or degree:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| La salle est assez grande. | The room is big enough. |
| Il parle assez lentement. | He speaks slowly enough. |
| Le texte est suffisamment clair. | The text is sufficiently clear. |
| Nous avons suffisamment de temps. | We have enough time. |
Assez can also mean quite or fairly when no particular requirement or limit is involved:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le film est assez long. | The movie is quite long. |
| Elle parle assez vite. | She speaks quite quickly. |
| C'est assez intéressant. | It's quite interesting. |
Suffisamment focuses more clearly on having enough of something to meet a need or condition.
Trop: more than needed
Trop expresses a degree or quantity that goes beyond what is wanted, useful, or necessary. It often corresponds to English too or too much.
Trop works with adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and quantities:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ce sac est trop lourd. | This bag is too heavy. |
| Il parle trop vite. | He speaks too quickly. |
| Elle travaille trop. | She works too much. |
| Il y a trop de bruit. | There is too much noise. |
The construction trop de appears before a noun when the quantity itself is excessive.
In informal French, trop can also have a positive intensifying meaning, especially in speech, as in C'est trop bien. In its basic grammatical use, however, trop expresses excess.
Si, tellement, and tant
Si, tellement, and tant can express a high degree or quantity. Their grammatical patterns differ.
Si appears directly before an adjective or adverb:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est si simple. | It's so simple. |
| Elle parle si doucement. | She speaks so softly. |
| Pourquoi est-il si tard ? | Why is it so late? |
Tellement has a wider range. It can modify adjectives and adverbs, follow verbs, or appear before de and a noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est tellement intéressant. | It's so interesting. |
| Elle parle tellement vite. | She speaks so quickly. |
| Il travaille tellement. | He works so much. |
| Nous avons tellement de choses à faire. | We have so many things to do. |
Tant commonly expresses a large quantity with verbs or with de and a noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Pourquoi travaille-t-il tant ? | Why does he work so much? |
| Elle a tant changé. | She has changed so much. |
| Il y a tant de choses à voir. | There are so many things to see. |
In everyday conversation, tellement is often more common than tant for this kind of emphasis.
Presque and à peine
Presque shows that something comes close to a point without completely reaching it. À peine shows that something reaches only a very small or minimal degree.
Presque often corresponds to almost or nearly:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis presque prêt. | I'm almost ready. |
| Elle vient presque toujours. | She almost always comes. |
| J'ai presque fini. | I've almost finished. |
| Il est presque midi. | It's almost noon. |
À peine often corresponds to barely or hardly:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Le texte est à peine visible. | The text is barely visible. |
| Il parle à peine. | He barely speaks. |
| J'ai à peine dormi. | I barely slept. |
| Elle a à peine commencé. | She has barely started. |
The two expressions describe opposite sides of a limit. Presque approaches the limit, while à peine indicates that only a small amount or degree has been reached.
Combining degree adverbs
Some degree adverbs can modify another degree expression. Each word adds another layer to the meaning.
Common combinations express how far something exceeds or approaches a particular degree:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un peu trop vite | a little too quickly |
| beaucoup trop cher | far too expensive |
| bien trop tard | much too late |
| presque assez grand | almost big enough |
| vraiment très difficile | really very difficult |
These combinations build from the word closest to the adjective or adverb. In beaucoup trop cher, trop means that the price is excessive, while beaucoup increases the degree of that excess.
From learning to practice
In conversation, listen for degree words around opinions, descriptions, prices, quantities, and reactions. Expressions with très, assez, trop, and tellement are especially common when speakers want to strengthen, soften, or limit what they say.