How to use "Plus" in French?

How to use plus in French

"Plus" in French can be sometimes tricky to use and pronounce. In this article, I'll explain its three most common uses and pronunciation. 

1) Plus in French means "plus" or more"

Deux plus deux font quatre. (Two plus two makes four.)

Elle a plus de cent livres. (She has more than a hundred books.)

*If you have a noun such as cent livres after "plus", you need add "de".

For example:

J'ai plus de dix cours. (I have more than ten courses.)

Tu veux plus de salade

Tu veux plus de salade? (Would you like more salad?)

Oui, j'en veux plus. (I want more.)

***Remember: "En" refers to something already mentioned in French which is "salade" here. 

Check out my previous post to review how to use "en".

2) Plus = adverb

"Plus" is used when we do comparisons as an adverb. 

Il travaille plus que son directeur. (He is working more than his manager.)

Tu es plus amical que ta sœur. (You're more friendly than your sister.)

*** As you can see in these examples, we need "que" (than) when we do comparisons in French.

3) Plus also means not anymore. It's used with a negation "ne___ plus"

Je ne travaille plus dans cette compagnie. (I don't work anymore in this company.)

Il n'est plus au Canada. (He's not in Canada anymore.)

Je ne veux plus de chocolat. (I don't want any more chocolate.) 

Chocolat picture

How to pronounce plus in French? When do you pronounce the s in plus in French?

Plus pronunciation 

1) If "plus" has a positive meaning such as "more", the s is pronounced [plys].

Je veux plus. (I want more.)

2) If we have a noun starting with a vowel after plus, it's pronounced as [plyz]

Example: il est plus intelligent que lui. (s is pronounced like "z")

3) If "plus" has a negative meaning such as "anymore", "s" isn't pronounced [ply]. 

Example: Je ne veux plus. (S isn't pronounced here.)

Moi non plus (Me neither)

 

About Umut

French teacher
I have been teaching French to adults for more than 5 years in Canada. I'm a certified French teacher, and I'm currently PhD Candidate in French Studies at Western University. I love reading, travelling and learning new languages. 
I've created unique downloadable learning materials focusing primarily on improving speaking and understanding in French.
I'm also helping thousands of French learners on my Instagram page.
Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.