Exclamative Adjectives

French exclamative adjectives
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Adjectifs exclamatifs

To express admiration, surprise, contempt, or another strong feeling (positive or negative) about a noun, you can use the French exclamative adjective quel, meaning "what (a)."

Par exemple…

Quel dommage ! What a shame!
Quelle vue ! What a view!
Quels amis fidèles tu as ! What faithful friends you have!

If an adjective precedes the noun, the exclamative adjective must precede it.

Par exemple…

Quelle jolie chanson ! What a pretty song!
Quels délicieux souvenirs ! What wonderful memories!
Quelles bonnes étudiantes ! What good students!

Characteristics of exclamative adjectives

  1. Used in place of an article, not with one
  2. Placed directly in front of a noun or in front of an adjective preceding a noun
  3. Must agree with the noun in gender and number
  4. Are identical to French interrogative adjectives

French exclamative adjectives

Singular Plural
Masculine quel quels
Feminine quelle quelles

 These four words are pronounced identically in front of consonants: the s in the plural forms is silent. In front of a vowel or mute h, a liaison is required.

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French exclamative adjectives

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