Learn French: Certains véhicules freinent le plus vite. - Certain vehicles brake the fastest.

Certains véhicules freinent le plus vite.

Certain vehicles brake the fastest.

Breakdown of Certains véhicules freinent le plus vite.

certain / some (certains, certaine, certaines)

freiner

to brake

Questions & Answers about Certains véhicules freinent le plus vite.

Why is it le plus vite instead of les plus vites to match the plural véhicules?

In French, vite (fast/quickly) is an adverb, which means it describes the verb freinent (brake). Adverbs are invariable—they never change to match masculine/feminine or singular/plural. Because of this, when making a superlative with an adverb, you always use the invariable article le. You will never see la plus vite or les plus vites.

Could I use rapidement or rapide instead of vite here?

You could absolutely say freinent le plus rapidement. Both vite and rapidement are adverbs. However, you cannot use rapide here, because rapide is an adjective. You would use the adjective to describe the vehicles themselves (e.g., les véhicules les plus rapides = the fastest vehicles), but to describe how they brake, you must use an adverb.

Is the -ent ending in freinent pronounced?

No, the -ent ending on third-person plural verbs like freinent is completely silent. You pronounce it exactly the same as the singular form, freine.

Why does Certains have an s at the end?