Translation of intensively

Eleanor H.C1Kwiziq community member

Translation of intensively

Does the word intensivement not exist in French? I used it in a test and it was marked incorrect and intensément given as the correct version.
 


Asked 4 years ago
MarieNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Eleanor! 

Thank you very much for pointing this out, it has been flagged to our team for review, as both are correct.

To give you some etymological context on these two words, "intensément" and "intensivement" both derive from the adjective "intense" (from the latin root "intensus") which was used in French at first. It's only later when the language evolved and refined that the adjective "intensif" started to be used (from the latin root "intensivus"), and "intensivement" derives from this. So while there are nuances, these two words are generally interchangeable in contemporary French. Often, the use of either "intensément" or "intensivement" is down to the writer or speaker's intention.

 

Here is the nuance for more context -

Intense, intensément: conveys the notion of something reaching an extreme level. Commonly used when speaking or writing about activities, states, and varied phenomenons. This is the adjectives that covers the widest spectrum of situations out of the two.

 

Intensif, intensivement: contains a notion of an improvement on future results. Mostly used when speaking or writing about activities, actions, efforts. It has a notion of physicality inherently attached to it. 

 

These sorts of subtleties are hard to grasp at first when learning a new language, especially as languages are organic and constantly evolving, so I hope this explanation helps! 

 

Happy Kwizzing!

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Intensivement definitely is a French word (Acadèmie Française, Larousse, Robert etc), as is intensément. Intensivement translates best to intensively, intensément to intensely - with much the same difference in meaning in French as in English, as far as I can ascertain. None of the dictionaries, nor my French wife, seem to agree with the translation in the lesson of intensément as being the word for both intensely and intensively. So - it depends which word was right for the context, but both exist.  

Eleanor H. asked:

Translation of intensively

Does the word intensivement not exist in French? I used it in a test and it was marked incorrect and intensément given as the correct version.
 


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