Learn French: Il parle beaucoup, il est très bavard. - He talks a lot, he is very talkative.

Il parle beaucoup, il est très bavard.

He talks a lot, he is very talkative.

Breakdown of Il parle beaucoup, il est très bavard.

Questions & Answers about Il parle beaucoup, il est très bavard.

Why does this sentence use beaucoup for "a lot" but très for "very"?

This is the main rule for intensifiers in French! We use beaucoup after a verb to say how much an action is done (parle beaucoup = talks a lot). We use très before an adjective to describe how strong a quality is (très bavard = very talkative).

What would this sentence look like if we were talking about a woman?

It would be: Elle parle beaucoup, elle est très bavarde. The verb (parle) and the adverbs (beaucoup and très) stay exactly the same. However, the adjective changes to match the female subject, so bavard gets an -e at the end to become bavarde.

Is it ever correct to say très beaucoup to mean "very much"?

No, French never puts très and beaucoup together. Beaucoup already means "a lot" or "very much" all on its own. So to say "he talks very much", you just say il parle beaucoup.

Do I pronounce the final 'd' in bavard?

No, the 'd' in bavard is silent. However, if you are talking about a woman and use the feminine form bavarde, the added 'e' makes that 'd' sound pronounced!