Basic evaluation, size, and difficulty | Learn French in English

About This Lesson

Use Basic evaluation, size, and difficulty to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

C'est très bien.

seh treh BYAN This is very good.

Ce n'est pas bien.

suh neh pah BYAN That is not good.

C'est trop grand.

seh troh GRAHN This is too big.

C'est trop petit.

seh troh puh-TEE This is too small.

C'est très facile.

seh treh fah-SEEL It is very easy.

C'est très difficile.

seh treh dee-fee-SEEL It is very difficult.

Word by Word

C'est In “C'est très bien.”, “C'est” means “this is” or “it is” and introduces an evaluation. It is the contracted form of ce and est. Reuse the pattern “C'est + evaluation” when describing something, such as in a new example: “C'est facile.”

très In “C'est très bien.”, “très” means “very” and strengthens the positive evaluation. It comes before the word it intensifies, as in “très bien” and “très facile”. Use it when giving a strong description or evaluation, for example in a new situation: “C'est très difficile.”

bien In “C'est très bien.”, “bien” means “good” and expresses a positive evaluation. Together with “très”, “très bien” means “very good”. Use “C'est bien” for a simple positive evaluation in a new situation.

Ce In “Ce n'est pas bien.”, “Ce” points to the thing being evaluated and means “that” here. It appears before “n'est pas” in this negative sentence. Reuse the pattern “Ce n'est pas + evaluation” when saying that something is not good or suitable.

n'est In “Ce n'est pas bien.”, “n'est” contributes the meaning “is” before “pas”. Together, “n'est pas” makes the evaluation negative. Reuse “n'est pas” before the rest of a negative description, as in the new example “Ce n'est pas facile.”

pas In “Ce n'est pas bien.”, “pas” contributes “not” and works with “n'est” to express a negative evaluation. It comes after “n'est” in the pattern “n'est pas”. Use this pattern when telling someone that something is not good or not suitable.

trop In “C'est trop grand.”, “trop” means “too” and shows that the size is more than suitable. It comes before the description it modifies, as in “trop grand” and “trop petit”. Use it when a feature exceeds what is appropriate, for example in a new situation: “C'est trop difficile.”

grand In “C'est trop grand.”, “grand” means “big” and describes the size of the thing being evaluated. With “trop”, “trop grand” means “too big”. Use “grand” after “C'est” when describing something as big, for example in a new situation: “C'est grand.”

petit In “C'est trop petit.”, “petit” means “small” and describes the size of the thing being evaluated. With “trop”, “trop petit” means “too small”. Use “petit” after “C'est” when describing something as small, for example in a new situation: “C'est petit.”

facile In “C'est très facile.”, “facile” means “easy” and evaluates the difficulty of an activity or task. With “très”, “très facile” means “very easy”. Use “C'est facile” when reassuring someone that a task is easy in a new situation.

difficile In “C'est très difficile.”, “difficile” means “difficult” and evaluates the difficulty of an activity or task. With “très”, “très difficile” means “very difficult”. Use “C'est difficile” when explaining that a task requires a lot of effort in a new situation.

Grammar Points

ne ... pas

Ce n'est pas trop grand.

suh neh pah troh GRAHN

It is not too big.

French negation places ne before the verb and pas after it. In this phrase, ne becomes n' before est.

très / trop + adjectif

C'est très facile, mais ce n'est pas trop petit.

seh treh fah-SEEL, meh suh neh pah troh puh-TEE

It is very easy, but it is not too small.

Très means “very,” while trop means “too.” Both adverbs come before the adjective.

French Vocabulary

bien adv

BYAN good; well

C'est très bien.

c'est phrase

seh this is; it is

C'est très bien.

ce pron

suh that; this

Ce n'est pas bien.

difficile adj

dee-fee-SEEL difficult

C'est très difficile.

facile adj

fah-SEEL easy

C'est très facile.

grand adj

GRAHN big; large

C'est trop grand.

n'est pas phrase

neh pah is not

Ce n'est pas bien.

pas adv

pah not

Ce n'est pas bien.

petit adj

puh-TEE small; little

C'est trop petit.

très adv

treh very

C'est très bien.

trop adv

troh too

C'est trop grand.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This is very good.

Show Answer

C'est très bien.

That is not good.

Show Answer

Ce n'est pas bien.

This is too big.

Show Answer

C'est trop grand.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

good; well

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bien

too

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trop

very

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très

small; little

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petit