Language/French/Grammar/Degree-adverbs

Degree adverbs

What are Degree Adverbs?

Adverbs which indicate the extent to which something is the case are degree adverbs. As a class they can modify every kind of sentence element: verbs, adjectives, nouns, prepositions and other adverbs. But individually some of them may be restricted to modifying particular categories of item (e.g. très can modify adjectives, prepositions and adverbs - très heureux 'very happy', très à la mode 'very fashionable', très bien 'very well' - but not verbs *Je fume très 'I smoke very'):

Examples

• Je fume modérément

I smoke moderately

• Tout est si clair maintenant

Everything is so clear

• Ce ne sera pas tout à fait la vérité

That won't be entirely the truth

• Je tends ma main jusqu'à presque toucher son visage

I stretch out my hand almost to touch his face

• Elle a dressé trop brusquement la tête

She lifted her head up too quickly

TABLE Typical degree adverbs

Representative examples

French	English
C'est un acteur assez connu	He is quite a well-known actor
La route tue autant que la guerre	Road accidents are the cause of as many deaths as war
Elle est autrement intelligente que sa soeur	She is much more intelligent than her sister
Ils ont beaucoup discuté pendant le weekend	They spent a lot of time discussing over the weekend
C'est bien bête	That's really stupid
Il y en a davantage qu'on ne le pense	There are more than you think
Elle a acheté un billet juste avant de prendre le train	She bought a ticket just before catching the train
On ramène même des souvenirs	They even bring back souvenirs
Voici le vélo même dont il s'est servi	This is the very bike he used
un monde si étrangement silencieux	such a strangely silent world
Elle est tellement plus sympathique	She is so much nicer
J'ai répondu tout de travers	1 replied in a quite confused way
Je suis ici depuis très longtemps	I have been here for a very long time
Elle parle trop	She talks too much

A number of degree adverbs also function as quantifiers modifying nouns :

French	English
assez d'excuses	enough excuses
autant d'argent	as much money
beaucoup de clients	many customers
bien des problèmes	many problems
tellement de travail	so much work