20 Ways to say GREAT in French

 Do you worry nobody will understand you and you’ll have to repeat yourself . . . again?

So you use lovely words like “fantastique” or ”excellent . . . yet don’t you want to expand your vocabulary a little more?

Knowing the basics is fine but there comes a time when you actually want to know more, and to sound more French - that way you’ll understand people around you more as well. 

So let’s look at updating and upgrading the humble word GREAT . . . 

Today, you will be learning:

• Different ways to say GREAT in French
• More modern ways to say GREAT
• How to pronounce them

6 French words to say “great” in French

When you learn a language, you start with the basics. Let’s learn or review 6 French words, all synonyms of great.

First, let’s start with the ones in the formal register. In other words, the ones you can find in books, articles… There are 2 of them: excellent and fantastique. 

Lucky you, they are pretty similar in English. Be sure to pronounce them correctly though (so watch the video to do so).

Now, let’s have a look at 4 French words that belong to the informal register. You would use them in casual conversations with your family, friends, colleagues…

The 4 words are: cool, super, sympa and chouette.

Surely you have recognised the first 2 ones. Let’s explain the other 2.

The word “sympa” is a the short version of “sympathique” meaning nice or pleasant.

What about the tricky word of “chouette”?

Well, if you look in the dictionary, you will see the primary translation of “owl”. However, in a specific context, it also signifies “nice, neat…or…great”!

3 French adjectives that are hard to pronounce.

You may have seen or heard these adjectives. Their spelling and especially their pronunciation could scary you. But rest assured, you too can say them.

Firstly, whenever a word looks or sounds complex, start by deconstructing it.

Let’s deconstruct them by syllables:

• Extraordinaire >>> extra - or - di - naire.
• Merveilleux >>> mer - vei - ll - eux. (Ignore the final “x”)
• Magnifique >>> ma - nyee- feeque.

I really hope you feel more confident to use them now. In the video I tell you exactly how to pronounce them.

In case you are still wondering about their translation, it would be: extraordinary, marvellous and magnificent.

4 fun expressions in French to express greatness.

Time to have fun! The 4 expressions you are going to discover are only used in an informal context. You can hear them in movies, in the streets…These are the words you want to know when you go a French speaking country to show off a little bit!

The first one is the verb to like but it’s the slang version. It’s a regular verb: “kiffer”.

• je kiffe
• tu kiffes
• il / elle kiffe 

• nous kiffons
• vous kiffez
• ils / elles kiffent

In a real context, it would something like this:

• Regarde ce chien ! Je kiffe ! >>> Look at this dog! Love it!

The second expression is an adjective: nickel. Sure it means the metal but here, it simply is a synonym of great, awesome, excellent…

Not sure how to play with it? Let’s have an example:

• Nickel, je le garde ! >>> Awesome ! I keep him!

Now, the word “top” is usually the best. This is why, French people have the fun word of “top” meaning great, awesome, fantastic…

Here’s one way to say it:

• Il est bien dressé ! Top ! >>> He’s well trained! Fantastic!

3 French ways to describe someone who looks great.

Let’s be specific and see what we can say when we refer to the appearance of a person. Imagine you see a woman or a man with an incredible charisma and/ or clothing. Well, you can choose from 4 options.

There’s one you already know which is the previous one: “top”. Like this:

• Quelle belle robe ! Tu es top ! >>> What a beautiful dress! You look fantastic!

Then, if someone is shining, you could pay a compliment like the following:

• Tu es rayonnant(e) ! >>> You look terrific!

For the next word, I am testing your cultural knowledge. Have you ever heard the song “Formidable” by Aznavour? 

Or the more modern song by Stromae ? 

Anyway, thanks to these 2 French songs you will know how to pronounce this adjective and more easily remember it: “formidable”.

• Tu es formidable ! >>> You’re great!

Finally, let’s learn one that sounds very cool: “sensas”. It comes from “sensationel”. You would say like this example:

• Quel smoking! Sensas ! >>> What a tuxedo! Brilll!

4 French expressions about delicious food.

Let’s do the same but in the field of food. Picture yourself eating at someone’s place and you love the food.

You have 4 options to pick:

• Que c’est bon ! >>> It’s great!
• C’est délicieux ! >>> It’s delicious!

• C’est trop bon ! >>> It’s too good!

• Il faut me donner la recette ! >>> I need the recipe!

So, no excuse to use the boring “bon”. Now, you are capable of varying from slang to formal. You can be general or specific and you can even adapt yourself to the context whether it’s the appearance or food.

Of course, there’s no pressure to memorise everything. Simply focus on the ones you prefer. You can always the extent of your vocabulary.

The most important is to have fun and know how to play with words. Should you have any doubt, start the conversation with me. I always enjoy talking with students.