French Grammar
Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives (tout, chaque, plusieurs, certains)
Referring to non-specific quantities, totalities, and subsets using tout, chaque, plusieurs, and certains.
Start Interactive LessonLesson Summary
Referring to non-specific quantities, totalities, and subsets using tout, chaque, plusieurs, and certains.
Grammar
Expressing Non‑Specific Quantities
In addition to the partitive articles (du, de la, des) studied in quantity and partitive articles and the precise numbers introduced in the A1 vocabulary lessons, French possesses a set of indefinite adjectives and pronouns that allow the speaker to refer to totalities, individual items within a group, or unspecified subsets.
Tout (all / every / whole)
| Form | Agreement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tout (adjective) | masculine singular | tout le temps (all the time) |
| toute | feminine singular | toute la journée (all day) |
| tous | masculine plural | tous les jours (every day) |
| toutes | feminine plural | toutes les semaines (every week) |
| tous (pronoun) | masculine plural | Ils sont tous venus. (They all came.) |
| toutes (pronoun) | feminine plural | Elles sont toutes parties. (They all left.) |
Chaque (each / every)
| Form | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| chaque + singular noun | Invariable; always followed by a singular noun | chaque matin (each morning) |
| chaque | Cannot be used with a plural noun | chaque personne (each person) |
Plusieurs (several) and Certains / Certaines (some / certain)
| Word | Note | Example |
|---|---|---|
| plusieurs + plural noun | Invariable | plusieurs amis (several friends) |
| certains + masculine plural noun | Refers to a subset of a group | certains jours (some days) |
| certaines + feminine plural noun | Feminine plural agreement | certaines personnes (some people) |
Key Distinctions
The following points clarify the use of these determiners:
- Tout le monde (everybody) is a fixed singular expression, despite its meaning.
- Tous les jours (every day) and Chaque jour (each day) are close in meaning, but tous les + plural noun emphasises the repetition of the whole set, while chaque + singular noun considers the items individually.
- Plusieurs designates an indefinite number greater than two.
- Certains / Certaines refer to a specific but unnamed subset of a larger group.
The neuter pronoun tout means ‘everything’: Tout va bien. (Everything is going well.)
Examples
- Tous les invités sont arrivés. Chaque personne a apporté un plat.The masculine plural adjective tous and the invariable chaque + singular noun.
- Plusieurs magasins sont fermés, mais certains restaurants restent ouverts.Plusieurs (several) and certains (some) with plural nouns.
Related searches
These are the main phrases this lesson covers: