beaucoup de
The English phrase "lots of" is translated into French as beaucoup de.
The phrase is used to indicate a large number or amount of something.
Which one should you use?
Use un grand nombre de for a formal tone, plein de or une tonne de for informal emphasis and un max de for an informal way to say "loads of".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In informal French, un max de is used to convey the meaning of "a lot of" or "loads of".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word de in beaucoup de does not change to des even if the noun following it is plural.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say beaucoup des before a plural noun. However, the correct form is always beaucoup de.
Did you know?
- The word beaucoup literally translates to 'a beautiful strike' or 'a nice hit'.
- In French, the word coup appears in dozens of idiomatic expressions, such as coup de foudre for 'love at first sight', showing the word's versatility beyond beaucoup.
Examples in context
- Tom a beaucoup de jouets.Tom has lots of toys.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express having a large quantity of objects.Tatoeba #6684021 by GB3, translation #6683787 by CK
- Ajoutez beaucoup de glace.Add lots of ice.This sentence shows how to use the phrase when instructing someone to add a large amount of something.Tatoeba #8530089 by Aiji, translation #4401598 by AlanF_US
- Nous avons beaucoup de temps.We have lots of time.This sentence demonstrates the use of the phrase regarding an amount of time.Tatoeba #945477 by dominiko, translation #5939063 by CK
- Il y a beaucoup de travail à faire.There is a lot of work to do.
- Nous avons un grand nombre de participants à la conférence.We have lots of participants at the conference.
- J'ai plein de livres à lire.I have lots of books to read.
- Il y a beaucoup de monde ici.There are lots of people here.
- On a une tonne de travail aujourd'hui !We have a ton of work today!
- J'ai un paquet de problèmes en ce moment.I have lots of problems right now.
- On a un max de boulot cette semaine.We have loads of work this week.
- 62 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are discussing their weekend plans.
- HugoJ'ai beaucoup de travail ce week-end.I have lots of work this weekend.
- LéaC'est dommage, on voulait sortir.That's a shame, we wanted to go out.
- HugoJe peux finir dimanche avec beaucoup de café.I can finish Sunday with lots of coffee.
- LéaAlors on se voit dimanche soir !Then we'll see each other Sunday evening!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beaucoup, de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
