In English, we say someone is "very talkative" but that they "talk a lot." French makes a similar distinction between très (very) and beaucoup (a lot / much).
- Use très to intensify adjectives (words that describe nouns, like "talkative" or "tired").
- Use beaucoup to intensify verbs (actions like "talking" or "sleeping"). Place it directly after the verb.
| He talks a lot, he is very talkative. | Il parle beaucoup, il est très bavard. |
| The girl is very talkative, she laughs a lot. | La fille est très bavarde, elle rit beaucoup. |
| The baby is very tired, he sleeps a lot. | Le bébé est très fatigué, il dort beaucoup. |
Describing how things happen
Adverbs describe how an action is done, such as vite (fast) or lentement (slowly). Just like with adjectives, use très to intensify them.
| My grandfather walks very slowly. | Mon grand-père marche très lentement. |
| The train goes very fast, but the bus goes very slowly. | Le train va très vite, mais le bus va très lentement. |
To say someone does an action a lot while doing it quickly or slowly, combine both rules!
| The waiter works very fast and he walks a lot. | Le serveur travaille très vite et il marche beaucoup. |
Critiquing food
You will frequently use très to give feedback on your meals, pairing it with flavor adjectives like salé (salty), sucré (sweet), and épicé (spicy). Remember that these adjectives will still need an extra -e if the noun they describe is feminine.
| The fish is very salty and the rice is very spicy. | Le poisson est très salé et le riz est très épicé. |
| The jam is very sweet, but the soup is very salty. | La confiture est très sucrée, mais la soupe est très salée. |
When you really like a dish, use beaucoup right after the verb aimer (to like).
| I like this dessert a lot, but it is very sweet. | J'aime beaucoup ce dessert, mais il est très sucré. |
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