French Intensity Adverbs: Using très, assez, vraiment and un peu with Adjectives
Learn to modify French adjectives with très, assez, vraiment and un peu to express very, quite, really and a bit, with correct placement and agreement.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In French, you can change the strength of an adjective by putting a short adverb in front of it. The four most useful are très (very), assez (quite), vraiment (really) and un peu (a bit). This lesson shows where to place them, how they behave with masculine, feminine and plural adjectives, and how they differ from frequency adverbs such as souvent or toujours, which answer the question how often rather than how much.
By the end, you can…
- place très, assez, vraiment and un peu correctly before a French adjective.
- choose the right intensity adverb for a situation, from un peu to très.
- make a short comment about weather, food, people or places using these adverbs.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Il fait assez froid aujourd'hui.
It's quite cold today.
eel feh ah-SAY frwah oh-zhoor-DWEE
Standard comment about weather; assez softens the statement and is common in neutral conversation.
Ce gâteau est vraiment bon.
This cake is really good.
suh gah-TOH eh vray-MAHN bohn
vraiment adds strong personal emphasis; bon is masculine singular to agree with gâteau.
La soupe est un peu salée.
The soup is a bit salty.
lah SOOP eh uhn puh sah-LAY
un peu softens criticism; salée is feminine singular to agree with soupe.
Ces exercices sont très faciles.
These exercises are very easy.
say zeg-zer-SEES sohn tray fah-SEEL
très gives a high degree; faciles is plural to agree with exercices.
Elle est assez sympathique.
She is quite friendly.
ell eh ah-SAY sam-pah-TEEK
assez can mean 'quite' or 'rather'; sympathique stays the same in masculine and feminine.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Put the adverb directly before the adjective: très grand (very big), assez cher (quite expensive), vraiment utile (really useful), un peu difficile (a bit difficult). The adjective still agrees with the noun: une voiture très rapide, des maisons assez anciennes. In informal speech, trop can mean 'really' or 'so' as well as 'too': C'est trop bien ! In more formal writing, keep trop for excess.
When to use it
Use très for a high degree, assez to soften or say 'quite', vraiment for personal emphasis, and un peu to reduce intensity or criticism. Compare Il est fatigué (neutral), Il est un peu fatigué (mild), Il est assez fatigué (quite), Il est très fatigué (very). These adverbs answer how much, unlike frequency adverbs such as souvent (often) or toujours (always), which answer how often.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Il fait un peu froid ce matin, non ?
It's a bit cold this morning, isn't it?eel feh uhn puh frwah suh mah-TAN nohnOui, mais l'après-midi est assez agréable.
Yes, but the afternoon is quite pleasant.wee may lah-pray-mee-DEE eh ah-SAY ah-gray-AHB-luhLe café est vraiment bon ici.
The coffee is really good here.luh kah-FAY eh vray-MAHN bohn ee-SEEC'est vrai, mais il est un peu cher.
That's true, but it's a bit expensive.say vray may eel eh uhn puh shehrA little context goes a long way
Intensity adverbs carry social tone. un peu can make a criticism gentler, while très can sound enthusiastic or exaggerated depending on context. assez often means 'quite' or 'rather' and can sound slightly reserved. In Quebec French, très and vraiment are common, but informal intensifiers such as pas mal ('pretty') or en masse ('a lot') also appear; learn them as regional informal usage.
One thing to watch for
Placing the adverb after the adjective, as in Il fait froid très.
Try this instead: In standard French, place the adverb before the adjective: Il fait très froid. The adjective follows the adverb, not the other way around.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'The film is really interesting.'
Show a sample answer
Le film est vraiment intéressant.
vraiment comes before the masculine singular adjective intéressant. très intéressant is also possible, but it means 'very interesting' rather than 'really interesting'.
2Choose the softer criticism: 'La chambre est très petite' or 'La chambre est un peu petite'?
Show a sample answer
La chambre est un peu petite.
un peu reduces the intensity and sounds less blunt. très petite states a high degree and may sound more direct.
3Make 'Les rues sont propres' mean 'quite clean'.
Show a sample answer
Les rues sont assez propres.
assez is placed before the plural adjective propres. The adjective keeps its plural -s agreement with rues.
Place très, assez, vraiment or un peu before the adjective, and keep the adjective's gender and number agreement. Choose the adverb by intensity, not by frequency.
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