plus dur
In French, harder is plus dur.
plus dur is used to describe something that requires more effort or is more solid than something else.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of plus (more) and dur (hard).
Which one should you use?
While plus dur is commonly used as an adverb in casual speech, plus durement is the strictly grammatical adverbial form for 'more hard'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes to plus dure when describing a feminine noun, and it changes to plus durs when describing a masculine plural noun.
Did you know?
- If you are describing a person as being 'harder' or more unyielding, you might use the expression plus dur à cuire, which literally translates to 'harder to cook'.
- In a culinary context, if a chef wants something 'harder', they might use the word ferme instead of dur to avoid implying the food is tough or unpleasant to eat.
- The word dur is a cognate of the English word 'during', as both stem from the Latin root for 'hard' or 'lasting'.
Examples in context
- Je travaille plus dur.I'm working harder.This sentence is useful for showing how to use plus dur when describing work.Tatoeba #5761529 by Thomz, translation #5757494 by CM
- Plus dure sera la chute.The bigger they come, the harder they fall.This sentence is useful for showing how to use plus dur in a proverbial context.Tatoeba #814036 by sacredceltic, translation #638254 by darinmex
- Tu dois travailler plus dur.You need to work harder.This sentence is useful for using plus dur to express a necessity.Tatoeba #11454868 by lbdx, translation #7859127 by CK
- Dans cette équation, la solution est plus difficile à trouver.In this equation, the solution is harder to find.
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are discussing a difficult math assignment.
- LucasEst-ce que l'exercice est plus dur ?Is the exercise harder?
- ChloéOui, il est beaucoup plus dur.Yes, it is much harder.
- LucasJe vais essayer de travailler plus dur.I am going to try to work harder.
- ChloéBon courage, Lucas !Good luck, Lucas!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dur, plus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
