Degree adverbs in French, such as plus, très, and trop, modify the intensity of adjectives, other adverbs, or verbs.
Degree adverbs in French are used to indicate the intensity or degree of an action, adjective, or another adverb. They help to answer questions like "how much?" or "to what extent?" by modifying the word they accompany.
- They can appear before adjectives, adverbs, or verbs.
- Some degree adverbs are more common in formal or informal contexts.
- Avoid using multiple degree adverbs together (e.g., très trop is generally incorrect).
Common Degree Adverbs
French Degree Adverb | English Translation | Example (French) | Example (English)
--- | --- | --- | ---
plus | more | Je suis plus fatigué. | I am more tired.
moins | less | Elle est moins rapide. | She is less fast.
très | very | Il est très intelligent. | He is very intelligent.
trop | too much/too | Tu parles trop. | You talk too much.
assez | enough/rather | Nous avons assez de temps. | We have enough time.
passionnément | passionately | Elle est passionnément amoureuse. | She is passionately in love.
extrêmement | extremely | Le film était extrêmement ennuyeux. | The movie was extremely boring.
absolument | absolutely | C’est absolument nécessaire. | It’s absolutely necessary.
complètement | completely | Je suis complètement d’accord. | I completely agree.
¿Qué adverbio de grado en francés significa 'more'?
Which French degree adverb means 'more'?
plus
The French degree adverb meaning 'more' is 'plus'.
Usage with Adjectives
Degree adverbs are often used to modify adjectives, appearing directly before the adjective.
French Degree Adverb + Adjective | English Translation
--- | ---
très grand | very tall
moins intéressant | less interesting
trop compliqué | too complicated
assez facile | quite easy
plus rapide | faster
Translate the sentence: 'She is very tall.'
Elle est très grande.
'Très' is placed before the adjective 'grande' to mean 'very tall.'
Usage with Adverbs
Degree adverbs can also modify other adverbs, intensifying or lessening the degree described.
French Degree Adverb + Adverb | English Translation
--- | ---
très vite | very quickly
plus lentement | more slowly
trop bruyamment | too noisily
assez bien | quite well
moins souvent | less often
Usage with Verbs
When modifying verbs, degree adverbs typically appear before the verb in simple tenses or before the auxiliary in compound tenses.
French Degree Adverb + Verb | English Translation
--- | ---
trop manger | eat too much
plus sortir | go out more
moins dormir | sleep less
assez travailler | work enough
très réussir | succeed greatly
Special Cases
- Trop usually implies a negative excess (e.g., trop de sucre* = too much sugar).
- Assez* can mean "enough" or "quite" depending on context.
- Plus can mean "more" or be part of negation (e.g., Je ne veux plus* = I don't want anymore).
Degree adverbs are essential for expressing nuance and precision in French, allowing speakers to convey exactly how much or to what extent something occurs.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
