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When a firework explodes in the sky, standard descriptions just won't do. French uses specific words at the start of a sentence to express strong reactions like surprise, joy, or admiration.

### Exclamations with "comme" and "que"

To say "How [adjective]!" or "How much [action]!", you can begin your sentence with **comme** or **que**.

Unlike English, which pulls the adjective or adverb to the front of the exclamation ("How splendid the lights are!"), French keeps the standard sentence word order: you simply place **comme** or **que** before the subject and verb.

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You can also use these words to emphasize the intensity of an action, rather than just a static description.

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### The everyday alternative: "ce que"

In conversational French, you will often hear **ce que** used in place of **comme** or **que**. The meaning and the word order remain exactly the same, but it adds a natural, everyday flavor to your exclamations.

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Exclamations (comme / que / ce que)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Adjective placement

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Question	Answer
how (exclamative)	comme
the fireworks display	le feu d'artifice
to illuminate	illuminer
How the fireworks display illuminates the night!	Comme le feu d'artifice illumine la nuit !
how (exclamative)	que
splendid	splendide
How splendid the lights are!	Que les lumières sont splendides !
how (exclamative)	ce que
the rocket	la fusée
to sparkle	scintiller
How the rocket sparkles in the sky!	Ce que la fusée scintille dans le ciel !
spectacular (grand, majestic)	grandiose
to amaze	émerveiller
The show is so spectacular that it amazes everyone.	Le spectacle est tellement grandiose qu'il émerveille tout le monde.
to ring out	retentir
How loud the noise rings out!	Comme le bruit retentit fort !
multicolored	multicolore
The multicolored stars illuminate the sky, which is no longer black.	Les étoiles multicolores illuminent le ciel, qui n'est plus noir.
How spectacular this fireworks display is!	Que ce feu d'artifice est grandiose !
How splendid the night is!	Ce que la nuit est splendide !
Look at the rockets, especially the ones that sparkle the most.	Regarde les fusées, surtout celles qui scintillent le plus.
the grand finale (of a fireworks display)	le bouquet final
final	final
How the grand finale rings out in the city!	Comme le bouquet final retentit dans la ville !
Even though I look at the grand finale, its multicolored lights still amaze me.	J'ai beau regarder le bouquet final, ses lumières multicolores m'émerveillent encore.
horrible	horrible
How horrible this weather is!	Comme ce temps est horrible !
It was a horrible accident.	C'était un horrible accident.
the hell (m)	l'enfer
That trip was hell.	Ce voyage a été un enfer.
What hell, this noise!	Quel enfer, ce bruit !
the devil	le diable
The devil appears in this story.	Le diable apparaît dans cette histoire.
That child is a real little devil.	Cet enfant est un vrai petit diable.

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