Adverbs of Quantity For Intermediate learners
What Are Adverbs of Quantity (Les adverbs de quantité) in French?
Adverbs of quantity (Les adverbs de quantité) express how much, how many, or to what degree something happens. They give information about intensity, amount, or degree, not about time or place.
They usually answer the questions:
Combien ? (How much / how many?)
À quel point ? (To what extent?)
Adverbs of quantity are extremely common in both spoken and written French, especially with verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Elle travaille beaucoup.
She works a lot.
Il est très fatigué.
He is very tired.
Ils mangent trop.
They eat too much.
Most Common Adverbs of Quantity
Here are the most frequently used adverbs of quantity. Most of them are invariable.
beaucoup (a lot)
très (very)
trop (too much)
assez (enough / rather)
peu (little)
autant (as much)
plus (more)
moins (less)
Elle parle beaucoup en classe.
She talks a lot in class.
Il est très motivé.
He is very motivated.
Tu travailles trop.
You work too much.
C'est assez clair.
It's clear enough.
Il dort peu la nuit.
He sleeps little at night.
What Adverbs of Quantity Modify
Adverbs of quantity can modify different types of words, which slightly affects their position.
Modifying a Verb
When an adverb of quantity modifies a verb, it usually comes after the verb (or after the past participle in compound tenses).
Elle mange beaucoup.
She eats a lot.
Il a trop parlé.
He talked too much.
Ils travaillent moins maintenant.
They work less now.
Modifying an Adjective
When an adverb of quantity modifies an adjective, it is placed directly before the adjective.
Elle est très gentille.
She is very kind.
Ce film est assez intéressant.
This movie is rather interesting.
Il est trop fatigué pour sortir.
Modifying Another Adverb
Adverbs of quantity can also modify another adverb to increase or reduce intensity. It is placed right directly before the adverb.
Elle parle très lentement.
She speaks very slowly.
Il répond assez rapidement.
He answers fairly quickly.
Ils arrivent trop tard.
They arrive too late.
Adverbs of Quantity with Nouns
Some adverbs of quantity like beaucoup, peu, trop, assez, and autant are followed by de + noun when they express an amount. They are usually placed after the verb.
Elle a beaucoup de travail.
She has a lot of work.
It is still considered an adverbial expression, even though it is followed by a noun.
Il y a trop de bruit ici.
There is too much noise here.
Nous avons peu de temps.
We have little time.
Elle mange autant de légumes que de fruits.
She eats as many vegetables as fruits.
Très vs Beaucoup
Très modifies adjectives and adverbs and it never modifies verbs or nouns. However, beaucoup modifies verbs, can be used before de + noun, and does not modify adjectives directly. Look at the examples below:
Il est très intelligent. ✔ / Il travaille très. ✖
He is very intelligent.
Il travaille beaucoup. ✔ / Il est beaucoup fatigué. ✖
He works a lot.
Très vs Trop
Both très and trop express intensity, but they do not have the same meaning.
très = a high degree, but neutral or positive
trop = more than necessary, often with a negative idea
Il est très fatigué.
He is very tired.
Il est trop fatigué pour sortir.
He is too tired to go out.
Ce film est très long.
This movie is very long.
Ce film est trop long.
This movie is too long.
If the meaning is "more than acceptable" or "more than needed", use trop, not très.
Position in Compound Tenses
In compound tenses, adverbs of quantity are usually placed between the auxiliary and the past participle: auxiliary + adverb of quantity + past participle.
J'ai beaucoup travaillé.
I worked a lot.
Elle a trop mangé.
She ate too much.
Nous avons assez attendu.
We waited long enough.
With Negation
When there is negation, the adverb still stays between the auxiliary and the past participle, inside the negation: ne + auxiliary + pas/jamais adverb + past participle.
Il n'a pas beaucoup dormi.
He didn't sleep much.
Elle n'a jamais trop parlé.
She never spoke too much.
With Nouns
If the adverb of quantity modifies a noun rather than the verb, it is placed after the past participle, next to that noun.
J'ai mangé beaucoup de fruits.
I ate a lot of fruit.
Elle a acheté trop de vêtements.
She bought too many clothes.
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