Plus as an Adverb
The French word plus can be used as an adverb or in any of a number of different expressions.
Plus is sometimes pronounced [ploos] and other times [ploo]. When plus is used as an adverb, the general idea behind the two pronunciations is this: when plus has a positive meaning (e.g., more, extra, additional, etc.) it is usually pronounced [ploos].* When it is used in a negative sense (as a negative adverb), it is usually pronounced [ploo].* The way I remember this is by thinking that the positive sense of the word has an extra sound, while the negative sense does not. In other words, the [s] sound is subtracted when the word has a negative meaning, added when it has a positive meaning. Isn't that clever? ;-)
*Except when it precedes another adverb, as explained here.
This general pronunciation rule applies to the affirmative and negative adverbs listed below; comparatives and superlatives are an exception and are explained in that section.
Plus is commonly used as one of three kinds of adverb:
| Affirmative adverb | |||
| Plus or plus de means more (than) or additional | |||
| Je veux plus de beurre. | I want more butter. | ||
| Il y aura plus de choix demain. | There will be additional choices tomorrow. | ||
| J'ai plus de 1 000 livres. | I have more than 1,000 books. | ||
| Revenez plus tard. | Come back later. | ||
| Negative adverb | |||
| Ne ... plus is a negative adverb, meaning no more or not any more | |||
| Je ne le veux plus. | I don't want it any more. | ||
| Je ne veux plus de beurre. | I don't want any more butter. | ||
| Plus de beurre, merci.* | No more butter, thank you. | ||
| Non plus means neither or not ... either | |||
| Je n'aime pas les pommes non plus. | I don't like apples either. | ||
| - Je n'ai pas de montre. - Moi non plus ! |
- I don't have a watch. - Me neither! |
||
| Ne ... plus que means only | |||
| Il n'y a plus que miettes. | There are only crumbs (left). | ||
| - Y a-t-il des pommes ? - Plus qu'une.* |
- Are there any apples? - Only one. |
||
| Ne ... pas plus means no more than (pretty much the same thing as ne ... plus que) | |||
| Il n'y a pas plus de 3 médecins. | There are no more than 3 doctors. | ||
| - Puis-je emprunter un stylo ? - Je n'en ai pas plus d'un. |
- Can I borrow a pen? - I only have one. |
||
| *Note: | When plus is used as a negative adverb at the beginning of a sentence, the ne is often omitted. In addition, the ne is often omitted in spoken, informal French (learn more). This is when pronouncing or not pronouncing the [s] is most important. If I say "Je veux plus [ploo] de beurre," someone may very well think I mean I don't want any more butter. This is actually how I learned the difference between the two pronunciations. I was eating breakfast and asked, "Y a-t-il plus [ploo] de beurre ?" and the woman replied, "Mais si, si !" (yes in response to a negative question). I should have asked "Y a-t-il plus [ploos] de beurre ?" |
| Comparative/superlative adverb |
| Plus as a comparative or superlative adverb is the exception to the rule at the top of this page. When plus is in the middle of a sentence, it is pronounced [ploo], unless it precedes a vowel, in which case the liaison causes it to be pronounced [plooz]. When plus is at the end of a sentence (Jean a beaucoup d'amis, mais j'en ai plus), it is pronounced [ploos]. |
| Plus ... que or plus ... de indicates superiority in comparatives and can compare | ||||
| adjectives | Je suis plus grand qu'elle. | I'm taller than she is. | ||
| adverbs | Je cours plus vite qu'elle. | I run faster than she does. | ||
| nouns | J'ai plus d'amis qu'elle. | I have more friends than she does. | ||
| verbs | Je cours plus qu'elle. | I run more than she does. | ||
| Le plus or le plus de indicates superiority in superlatives and can compare | ||||
| adjectives | Je suis le plus grand étudiant. | I'm the tallest student. | ||
| adverbs | Je cours le plus vite. | I run the fastest. | ||
| nouns | J'ai le plus d'amis. | I have the most friends. | ||
| verbs | Je cours le plus. | I run the most. | ||
| Expressions with Plus Test on Plus |
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