Level B1 (Intermediate)
Want to express “most” or “the majority of” in French? Use the versatile feminine noun la plupart. This lesson will teach you how to use this common phrase to talk about majorities, whether of people, things, or even time.
Meaning
Pronunciation with IPA
Example sentences
Word origin
Meaning
The French feminine noun la plupart translates to “most,” “the majority of,” or “most of.” It is commonly used with the preposition “de” (de la, des, du) to form the structure “la plupart de + noun,” meaning “most of the + noun.” It refers to the largest portion or number of a group.
Pronunciation
Example sentences
The form for “most of the + noun” is la plupart de + noun. This sentence uses the adjective fier, fière (proud). Many students have a hard time with the pronunciation of this word. In the masculine form, the final -r is pronounced.
La plupart des Français sont très fiers de leur pays.
The majority of French people are very proud of their country.
This second sentence uses the verb essayer (to try). Essayer is always followed by de + infinitive to mean “to try to do something”.
J’essaie de manger très sainement la plupart du temps.
I try to eat healty most of the time.
This sentence uses la majorité de, which is synonymous for la plupart.
La majorité des gens sont contre les nouvelles lois.
Most of the people are against the new laws.
Word origin
Plupart combines the Latin plus (more) and partis (part). Note that it’s mistake to write pluspart. Omit the -s.
Related lessons
Reference
