To express quantities such as a few, several and many in French, you will use quelques, plusieurs and de nombreux/nombreuses.
How to express quantities in French
Quelques vs plusieurs = a few vs several
In English, there is a nuance between a few and several :
I have a few books. versus I have several books.
-> a few implies a slightly smaller amount than several.
The same nuance exists in French between quelques and plusieurs :
-> Here quelques implies a slightly shorter distance than plusieurs. It remains quite subjective, but it is definitely worth noticing!
Attention : You never say un quelques (a few)
If we had to establish an order of quantity, it would go like this:
| a couple / some /a few | several | many / numerous |
| quelques | plusieurs | de nombreux (m) de nombreuses (f) |
De nombreux / de nombreuses = many
To say many, you use the expression de nombreux / de nombreuses, depending on the gender of the thing it refers to.
Also see the more advanced Quelque/quelques vs Un peu de/peu de = A couple/a few vs a bit of/few (French Indefinite Adjectives)
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
I live a couple of streets away.
