Today we’ll have a look at the adverb trop. There are two main ways to use this word: Trop + adjective means “too + adjective” and trop de + noun means “too much” or “too many”. The pronunciation of trop is “troh”. The final p is silent.
trop – [tʀo]
too
Example sentences
This first example sentence uses the structure trop + adjective, meaning “too + adjective”. The negation ne + verb + rien means “nothing” or “anything”.
Tu parles trop vite. Je ne comprends rien !
You’re speaking too fast. I don’t understand anything!
The structure trop + de + noun means “too much + noun” or “too many + noun”. For example, trop de temps (too much time) or trop d’œufs (too many eggs).
J’ai trop de travail en ce moment.
I currently have too much work.
Nous avons trop de tomates dans le jardin cette année.
We have too many tomatos in the garden this year.
In French slang and among young people, trop as a synonym for très to mean “very”. This is considered improper French. Note that this sentence can also translate to “She is so beautiful”. Tellement (so) is a synonym for this sentence.
Elle est trop belle !
She’s very beautiful!
Word origin
The Modern French adverb trop comes from throp in Frankish, an extinct Germanic language. Throp refered to a group, cluster or village and had the underlying meaning of beaucoup (a lot). Over time the meaning of trop evoloved to indicate excess.
Related lessons
- Tellement – So, so much
- Assez – Enough, Quite, Rather, Pretty
- Beaucoup – A lot, many, much
- French Adverbs
