Understanding Degree Adverbs
French degree adverbs express intensity, extent, or degree. They answer questions like "how much?" "to what extent?" or "how intense?"
These adverbs modify adjectives, other adverbs, or sometimes verbs to show the strength or level of a quality or action.
Degree adverbs are essential for expressing nuanced opinions and making precise descriptions.
Examples
Elle est très belle. (She is very beautiful.)
Très intensifies the adjective belle
Il parle assez bien français. (He speaks French quite well.)
Assez modifies the adverb bien
Nous travaillons beaucoup. (We work a lot.)
Beaucoup modifies the verb travaillons
High Intensity Adverbs
Adverbs expressing strong or maximum intensity:
TRÈS (Very)
The most common intensifier in French:
Il est très intelligent. (He is very intelligent.)
Elle chante très bien. (She sings very well.)
C'est très important. (It's very important.)
Tu parles très vite. (You speak very fast.)
EXTRÊMEMENT (Extremely)
Expresses maximum intensity:
Il fait extrêmement froid. (It's extremely cold.)
Elle est extrêmement gentille. (She is extremely kind.)
VRAIMENT (Really)
Emphasizes truth or reality of the degree:
C'est vraiment délicieux. (It's really delicious.)
Il est vraiment fatigué. (He is really tired.)
Moderate Intensity Adverbs
Adverbs expressing moderate or sufficient intensity:
ASSEZ (Quite/Enough)
Expresses sufficient or moderate degree:
Il est assez grand. (He is quite tall.)
Elle parle assez lentement. (She speaks quite slowly.)
C'est assez difficile. (It's quite difficult.)
Tu chantes assez bien. (You sing quite well.)
PLUTÔT (Rather/Quite)
Expresses moderate degree with slight preference:
Il est plutôt sympa. (He is rather nice.)
Elle est plutôt jolie. (She is rather pretty.)
C'est plutôt intéressant. (It's rather interesting.)
Tu es plutôt intelligent. (You are rather intelligent.)
RELATIVEMENT (Relatively)
Expresses degree in comparison to something else:
C'est relativement facile. (It's relatively easy.)
Il est relativement jeune. (He is relatively young.)
Excessive Degree Adverbs
Adverbs expressing excessive or problematic intensity:
TROP (Too/Too Much)
Expresses excessive degree (often negative):
Il est trop jeune. (He is too young.)
C'est trop cher. (It's too expensive.)
Elle parle trop vite. (She speaks too fast.)
Tu travailles trop. (You work too much.)
TROP DE (Too Much/Too Many)
Used with nouns to express excessive quantity:
Il y a trop de bruit. (There's too much noise.)
J'ai trop de travail. (I have too much work.)
Low Intensity Adverbs
Adverbs expressing minimal or insufficient intensity:
PEU (Little/Not Very)
Expresses low degree or small amount:
Il est peu bavard. (He is not very talkative.)
Elle mange peu. (She eats little.)
C'est peu probable. (It's not very likely.)
Il dort peu. (He sleeps little.)
UN PEU (A Little)
Expresses small but noticeable degree:
Il est un peu fatigué. (He is a little tired.)
Elle parle un peu vite. (She speaks a little fast.)
PAS TRÈS (Not Very)
Negates high intensity:
Il n'est pas très grand. (He is not very tall.)
Ce n'est pas très difficile. (It's not very difficult.)
Quantity-Based Degree Adverbs
Adverbs expressing degree through quantity concepts:
BEAUCOUP (Much/A Lot)
Expresses high degree or large quantity:
Il travaille beaucoup. (He works a lot.)
Elle aime beaucoup la musique. (She likes music a lot.)
C'est beaucoup mieux. (It's much better.)
Il est beaucoup plus grand. (He is much taller.)
ÉNORMÉMENT (Enormously)
Expresses very high degree:
Il travaille énormément. (He works enormously.)
Elle a énormément de talent. (She has enormous talent.)
Placement of Degree Adverbs
Degree adverbs have specific placement rules depending on what they modify:
Examples
Before adjectives: très beau (very beautiful)
Before adverbs: assez bien (quite well)
After verbs: Il mange beaucoup. (He eats a lot.)
With comparatives: beaucoup plus grand (much taller)
Modifying Adjectives
Degree adverbs go before adjectives:
Adverb + Adjective
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| très + adjective | très beau | very beautiful |
| assez + adjective | assez grand | quite tall |
| trop + adjective | trop cher | too expensive |
| plutôt + adjective | plutôt joli | rather pretty |
Modifying Verbs
Degree adverbs usually go after verbs:
Il mange beaucoup. (He eats a lot.)
Elle travaille énormément. (She works enormously.)
With Comparatives
Special placement with comparative structures:
beaucoup plus grand (much taller)
un peu moins cher (a little less expensive)
Degree Adverbs in Context
How degree adverbs change meaning and tone:
Examples
Il est intelligent. (He is intelligent.) - neutral
Il est très intelligent. (He is very intelligent.) - positive emphasis
Il est assez intelligent. (He is quite intelligent.) - moderate praise
Il est trop intelligent. (He is too intelligent.) - possibly problematic
Emotional Nuances
How different degree adverbs affect tone:
Positive: vraiment beau (really beautiful)
Neutral: assez beau (quite beautiful)
Critical: trop bruyant (too noisy)
Mild: un peu bruyant (a little noisy)
Common Degree Adverb Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong placement: Putting degree adverbs after adjectives
2. Overuse of très: Using très with everything instead of variety
3. Trop confusion: Using trop when assez is more appropriate
4. Beaucoup with adjectives: Using beaucoup directly with adjectives
Examples
❌ Il est intelligent très → ✅ Il est très intelligent
Wrong: degree adverbs go before adjectives
❌ Il est beaucoup intelligent → ✅ Il est très intelligent
Wrong: use très, not beaucoup, with adjectives
❌ C'est trop bon (when you like it) → ✅ C'est très bon
Wrong: trop implies excess/problem, use très for positive
❌ Elle est très très très belle → ✅ Elle est vraiment belle
Wrong: avoid repetition, use stronger adverbs