trop
/tʁo/
In French, 'too much' is translated as trop.
The word trop is a common and neutral way to express that something is excessive. You can use it as an adverb to modify a verb or an adjective. To express an excess of a specific thing, you must use the structure trop de + noun to say 'too much + noun'. Additionally, the phrase en faire trop is used to mean 'to overdo it'.
Meaning: excessively (adv)
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, the word trop does not change its form to distinguish between 'too much' (uncountable) and 'too many' (countable).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using trop as an adverb to modify a verb or an adjective, it stands alone without 'de'.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʁo/
Did you know?
- In certain slang contexts, especially among younger generations, saying C'est trop! is not a complaint about excess, but a way to say 'It's awesome!' or 'It's great!'
- The word trop actually shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'troop'. It is thought to have evolved from a Germanic root meaning a 'cluster' or 'collection', essentially implying a crowd that is 'too much' to manage.
- While trop usually indicates a negative excess, French speakers sometimes use the phrase trop… pour être vrai to describe something so perfect it feels unreal.
Examples in context
- Tom a trop bu.Tom drank too much.This sentence shows how to use trop to modify the verb 'bu'.Tatoeba #1464307 by Rovo, translation #1094227 by CK
- Je bois trop !I drink too much!This sentence shows how to use trop to modify the verb 'bois'.Tatoeba #3645724 by sacredceltic, translation #2722197 by Hybrid
- Il en sait trop.He knows too much.This sentence shows how to use trop to modify the verb 'sait'.Tatoeba #2343652 by sacredceltic, translation #2206829 by Hybrid
- Il y a trop de monde ici.There are too many people here.
- Le prix est trop élevé.The price is too high.
- J'ai trop de travail.I have too much work.
- Cette situation est allée trop loin.This situation has gone too far.
- C'est un prix excessif pour un simple repas.It's an excessive price for a simple meal.
- Son comportement est vraiment excessif.His behavior is truly excessive.
- La consommation d'alcool est considérée comme excessive dans ce pays.Alcohol consumption is deemed excessive in this country.
- Cette fête était trop géniale !This party was too awesome!
- Ce film me procure trop d'émotions.This movie gives me too many emotions.
- Les compliments que tu me fais, c'est trop !The compliments you give me, it's too much!
- Il y a trop de bruit dans cette rue.There is too much noise on this street.
- Nous avons acheté trop de nourriture pour le dîner.We bought too much food for dinner.
- Arrête d'en faire trop ou tu te blesses.Stop overdoing it, or you'll get hurt.
- Il fait trop de blagues au mauvais moment.He makes too many jokes at the wrong time.
- 590 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Hugo are talking about a movie they just watched.
- EmmaLe film était un peu trop long.The movie was a bit too long.
- HugoJe suis d'accord, c'était trop lent.I agree, it was too slow.
- EmmaL'acteur parlait trop vite aussi.The actor spoke too fast too.
- HugoC'est vrai, Hugo n'a rien compris.That's true, Hugo didn't understand anything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “too much” translations and entries trop, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries trop, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
