31 French adjectives to use instead of 'très'
Posted by Josh on 9th May 2023 in the blog in the category
‘Très’ is one of the most useful words to know in French, especially if you’re a beginner. The equivalent of the English word 'very', it’s what we call an ‘intensifier’, meaning it can be used before any adjective to intensify it. 'Chaud' (hot) becomes 'très chaud' (very hot), 'froid' (cold) becomes 'très froid' (very cold) – and so on.
But saying ‘très’ all the time can get, well, très répétitif – and that's not to mention that some learners often struggle with pronouncing the word. Fortunately, most common adjectives have synonyms that convey the same meaning with a little emphasis or intensity, eliminating the need for you to resort to ‘très’ every other sentence. So while ‘très chaud’ and ‘très froid’ might get the point across, 'brûlant' and 'gelé' sound much more sophisticated, and indicate a more intimate knowledge of the French language.
NB: You can also use the superlative form of an adjective instead of using 'très', but this is a bit more restrictive. If you were to talk about 'la boisson la plus chaude', rather than 'la boisson très chaude' or 'la boisson brûlante', you would be implying that the drink is not just 'very hot', but is the 'hottest' of a number of different drinks. Also note that while in English we often form a superlative by affixing '-est' onto the end of the adjective, in French it is almost always formed using the adverbs 'plus' or 'moins' – words which, like 'très', can get a little repetitive.
très bon
étonnant (as in 'astonishing') – des résultats étonnants
merveilleux (as in 'marvellous') – une performance merveilleuse
incroyable (as in 'incredible') – une expérience incroyable
imprenable – une vue imprenable
très mauvais(e)
épouvantable – il a un caractère épouvantable.
affreux (affreuse) – une chanson affreuse
très gros(se)
énorme(e) – une énorme guêpe
considérable – une fortune considérable
gigantesque – un bâtiment gigantesque
très petit(e)
tout petit(e) – un tout petit restaurant
infime (used to describe a small quantity) – une fraction infime
minuscule (this word is more common than it is in English – une fleur minuscule
très drôle
hilarant(e) – un film hilarant
désopilant(e) – une conversation désopilante
marrant(e) – un homme marrant
très savoureux (savoureuse)
délicieux (euse) – de délicieuses friandises
délectable – un gâteau délectable
très utile
indispensable – un outil indispensable
incontournable – un manuel incontournable
très heureux (heureuse)
joyeux (joyeuse) – une occasion joyeuse
ravi (ravie) – mes enfants sont ravis
très triste
affligé(e) – je suis affligé
abattu – le jeune homme était abattu
très calme
serein(e) – une expression sereine
tranquille – une rivière tranquille
très fâché(e)
en colère – un personnage en colère.
furieux (furieuse) – Maman sera furieuse
très chaud(e)
brûlant(e) – le soleil brûlant
caniculaire (usually referring to weather) – une journée caniculaire
très froid(e)
gelé(e) – un lac gelé
glacial(e) – un vent glacial
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