ELONIO
Log inSign up

Les voitures produisent plus de pollution que les vélos.

Les voitures produisent plus de pollution que les vélos.
Cars produce more pollution than bikes.
From Lesson 121:Comparing quantities of nouns (plus de... que)·French

Questions & Answers about Les voitures produisent plus de pollution que les vélos.

Why is it plus de pollution and not plus de la pollution?
When comparing amounts of a noun using plus de (more), moins de (less/fewer), or autant de (as much/as many), you drop the articles le, la, or les after de. It is always just de (or d' before a vowel) directly followed by the noun. This rule applies to most expressions of quantity in French.
Why do we use les voitures and les vélos when the English translation just says 'cars' and 'bikes'?
In French, you must use the definite article (le, la, les) when talking about general categories, concepts, or things in their entirety. Since we are making a general statement about cars and bikes, we need les before both nouns.
What verb is produisent and why is there an 's' in it?
It comes from the irregular verb produire (to produce). Verbs ending in -uire (like traduire, to translate, or conduire, to drive) add an 's' to their stem when conjugated with plural subjects. So for 'they produce' (elles), the ending is -ent, making it produisent.
Does que always mean 'than' in comparisons?
Yes! Whether you are comparing adjectives, adverbs, or nouns like in this sentence (plus de... que), you always use que (or qu' before a vowel) to mean 'than' to introduce the second half of the comparison.

Learn Les voitures produisent plus de pollution que les vélos and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →