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The ‘Très’ Trap: How to Avoid It and Speak More Eloquent French

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Want to sound more French? Let’s move beyond ‘très’ (very). There are many words that can make your French more colorful and precise. We’ll show you how!

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • Why Avoid ‘Très’?
  • Examples to Enrich Your Vocabulary
    • Emotions and States:
    • Appearance and Cleanliness:
    • Size and Duration:
    • Quality and Taste:
    • Wealth and Poverty:
  • Temperature:
    • Speed and Attention:
    • Personal Qualities:
    • Age and Experience:
    • Price and Value:
    • Character Traits:

Why Avoid ‘Très’?

  1. Variety: Constantly using ‘très‘ can make your speech monotonous.
  2. Precision: Alternatives to ‘très‘ often better describe what you want to express.
  3. Sophistication: A varied vocabulary demonstrates better language mastery.

Examples to Enrich Your Vocabulary

Avoid using the adverb Tres in French

Emotions and States:

  • Très fatigué (very tired) → épuisé, exténué, lessivé, éreinté, vidé
  • Très content (very happy) → satisfait, ravi, enchanté, comblé, aux anges
  • Très triste (very sad) → accablé, désolé, abattu, affligé, inconsolable
  • Très fâché (very angry) → furieux, enragé, hors de lui, écumant de rage, enflammé

Appearance and Cleanliness:

  • Très beau (very beautiful) → magnifique, splendide, somptueux, éblouissant, ravissant
  • Très laid (very ugly) → hideux, repoussant, affreux, disgracieux, moche
  • Très propre (very clean) → impeccable, immaculé, étincelant, irréprochable
  • Très sale (very dirty) → crasseux, dégoûtant, immonde, répugnant, sordide

Size and Duration:

  • Très grand (very big) → immense, gigantesque, colossal, démesuré, titanesque
  • Très petit (very small) → microscopique, minuscule, infime, lilliputien, infinitésimal
  • Très long (very long) → interminable, sans fin, inépuisable, infini
  • Très court (very short) → bref, succinct, concis, laconique, expéditif

Quality and Taste:

  • Très bon (very good) → délicieux, savoureux, exquis, succulent, délectable
  • Très mauvais (very bad) → infect, abominable, détestable, immangeable
See also  5 ways to use "affaire" in French

Wealth and Poverty:

  • Très riche (very rich) → richissime, opulent, fortuné, fastueux, nanti
  • Très pauvre (very poor) → indigent, misérable, nécessiteux, démuni, déshérité

Temperature:

  • Très chaud (very hot) → brûlant, torride, étouffant, incandescent, ardent
  • Très froid (very cold) → glacial, sibérien, polaire, glaçant, glacé

Speed and Attention:

  • Très rapide (very fast) → prompt, foudroyant, fulgurant, éclair, instantané
  • Très attentif (very attentive) → concentré, absorbé, captivé, focalisé, assidu

Personal Qualities:

  • Très courageux (very brave) → intrépide, vaillant, audacieux, téméraire, héroïque
  • Très modeste (very modest) → chaste, humble, discret, effacé, réservé
  • Très timide (very shy) → timoré, gêné, renfermé, effacé, intimidé
  • Très bavard (very talkative) → parleur, loquace, prolixe, intarissable, verbeux

Age and Experience:

  • Très jeune (very young) → novice, débutant, inexpérimenté, primaire, puéril
  • Très vieux (very old) → suranné, désuet, antique, archaïque, vétuste

Price and Value:

  • Très cher (very expensive) → exorbitant, hors de prix, prohibitif, scandaleux

Character Traits:

  • Très sincère (very sincere) → véridique, authentique, franc, loyal, candide
  • Très fort (very strong) → tenace, robuste, solide, résistant, inébranlable
  • Très faible (very weak) → vulnérable, fragile, chétif, débile, sans force
  • Très gentil (very kind) → amène, bienveillant, aimable, affable, prévenant
  • Très calme (very calm) → serein, paisible, tranquille, posé, imperturbable
  • Très intelligent (very smart) → brillant, génial, doué, érudit, sagace
  • Très bête (very stupid) → stupide, idiot, sot, imbécile, benêt

By expanding your vocabulary beyond simple ‘très‘, you open the door to richer and more nuanced expression in French. Not only will this make your French more sophisticated, but it will also allow you to better communicate your thoughts and emotions. So, the next time you’re tempted to use ‘très‘, pause and ask yourself if there might be a more precise and eloquent word to express your idea.

See also  French Adjectives for Emergency Situations

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