In this lesson, we cover indefinite adjectives and pronouns in French.
Indefinite adjectives describe a noun in a vague or non-specific way, e.g., “autres livres” (other books), “chaque personne” (eachperson), “plusieurs choses” (several things), “toutes les écoles” (all schools), etc.
On the other hand, indefinite pronouns replace the noun in a vague and non-specific way, e.g., “Je te dis quelque chose” (I tell you something), “Je parle à quelqu’un” (I speak to someone), “Tout est bien” (All is well), etc.
Many indefinite pronouns are identical to their indefinite adjective counterpart, e.g., “tout(e)” (all), “autre” (other), “beaucoup” (much or many), etc.
Unlike most adjectives in French, indefinite adjectives precede the noun they describe. Some also change form to agree with the noun in gender and number. Indefinite adjectives and pronouns are used abundantly in French. Thus, it is very useful to learn the most common ones.
List of Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns
Here is a list of the most common indefinite adjectives and pronouns:
| Meaning | Examples | ||
| assez | enough | indef. adj. & pron. | J’ai assez d’argent. I have enough money. |
| trop | too much, too many | indef. adj. & pron. | Il y a trop de monde ici. There are too many people here. |
| l’un l’autre les uns les autres | each other | indef. adj. & pron. | Ils doivent s’aider les uns les autres. They must help each other. |
| l’un ou l’autre l’une ou l’autre | one or the other | indef. adj. & pron. | Il faut choisir l’une ou l’autre de ces maisons. You must choose one or the other of these houses. |
| les deux | both | indef. adj. & pron. | Les deux options sont disponibles. Both options are available. |
| les autres | the others | indef. adj. & pron. | Les autres ne sont pas disponibles. The others are not available. |
| le reste | the rest | indef. adj. & pron. | Le reste du monde souffre. The rest of the world is suffering. |
| même(s) | same, self | indef. adj. & pron. | C’est la même personne que nous avons vue hier soir. It is the same person we saw last night. |
| certain(e)(s) | certain | indef. adj. & pron. | Seules certaines personnes peuvent le faire. Only certain people can do that. |
| autre(s) | other, another | indef. adj. & pron. | Je voudrais un autre verre d’eau, s’il vous plaît. I’d like another glass of water, please. |
| tout(e)(s) | all, every | indef. adj. & pron. | Toute l’année, il pleut dans le pays. All year round, it rains in the country. |
| tous | all, everybody | indef. adj. & pron. | Nous venons tous d’Australie. All of us are from Australia. |
| peu | little, few | indef. adj. & pron. | Nous avons besoin de peu de temps pour arriver. We need little time to arrive. |
| beaucoup (de) | much, many | indef. adj. & pron. | Il existe beaucoup d’options pour les jeunes. There are many options for young people. |
| divers | various | indef. adj. & pron. | Divers champs sont ouverts à tous. Various fields are open to everyone. |
| plusieurs | several | indef. adj. & pron. | Vous pouvez lire plusieurs livres sur ce sujet. You can read several books on this topic. |
| n’importe quel quelconque | any, whichever | indef. adj. & pron. | Apportez-moi n’importe quel livre. Bring me any book. |
| quelque(s) | some, few | indef. adj. & pron. | J’ai quelques livres sur le sujet. I have some books on the subject. |
| chaque | each, every | indef. adj. | Brossez-vous les dents après chaque repas. Brush your teeth after each meal. |
| quelque chose | something | indef. pron. | Je veux dire quelque chose de très important. I want to say something very important. |
| quelqu’un(e) | someone | indef. pron. | J’ai parlé avec quelqu’un de très intéressant. I talked with someone very interesting. |
| rien | nothing | indef. pron. | Je ne ferai rien de la journée d’aujourd’hui. I am going to do nothing all day today. |
| personne | nobody not any | indef. pron. | Personne n’est au bureau aujourd’hui. Nobody is in the office today. |
| quiconque qui que ce soit | whoever | indef. pron. | Qui que ce soit, ce n’est pas important. Whoever it is, it is not important. |
Indefinite Adjectives vs. Indefinite Pronouns
Note that “chaque” (each) can only be used as an indefinite adjective because it is always followed by a noun. For example, “chaque livre” (each book), “chaque numéro” (each number), “chaque étudiant” (each student), etc.
On the other hand, “quelque chose” (something), “quelqu’un” (somebody), “rien” (nothing), and “personne” (nobody) can only be used as indefinite pronouns. This is because they cannot be followed by a noun, e.g., “Rien ne s’est passé” (Nothing happened).
Other lessons in Level III:
Level III – Elementary
2. The Verb “to Know”: “Savoir” vs. “Connaître”
3. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns
6. Telling Time & Describing The Weather
7. Present Participle & Gerund
