How To Say Some In French

Learning a new language opens up many exciting possibilities. If you are studying French, understanding how to say “some” is very useful. This small word plays an important role when talking about quantities, food, and everyday items.

In French, saying “some” depends on what you are talking about. Whether you are asking for food at a bakery or talking about items in your home, knowing this word helps you sound more natural. In this article, you will learn different ways to say “some” in French, explore how to respond to questions, and practice through simple exercises. Let’s get started!

Ways to Say “Some” in French

In French, the word “some” changes based on the noun it describes. It depends on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, plural, or starts with a vowel. Learning these forms helps you talk about quantities naturally.

1. Du

Pronunciation: dew
Meaning: Some (used with masculine singular nouns)
In a Sentence:

Je veux du pain. (I want some bread.)
Il a acheté du fromage. (He bought some cheese.)

2. De la

Pronunciation: duh lah
Meaning: Some (used with feminine singular nouns)
In a Sentence:

Nous avons de la soupe. (We have some soup.)
Elle veut de la salade. (She wants some salad.)

3. De l’

Pronunciation: duh l’
Meaning: Some (used with singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent ‘h’)
In a Sentence:

J’ai de l’ eau. (I have some water.)
Il boit de l’ huile. (He is drinking some oil.)

4. Des

Pronunciation: day
Meaning: Some (used with plural nouns)
In a Sentence:

Ils mangent des fruits. (They are eating some fruits.)
Nous avons des idées. (We have some ideas.)

5. Un peu de

Pronunciation: uh puh duh
Meaning: A little bit of
In a Sentence:

Je voudrais un peu de sucre. (I would like a little bit of sugar.)
Ajoute un peu de sel. (Add a little bit of salt.)

6. Quelques

Pronunciation: kel-kuh
Meaning: Some/a few (used with countable nouns)
In a Sentence:

Il a quelques amis. (He has some friends.)
Nous avons vu quelques oiseaux. (We saw some birds.)

7. Certain(e)(s)

Pronunciation: sehr-tan/sehr-tan-tuh
Meaning: Some/certain (used for specific items)
In a Sentence:

Certaines personnes sont absentes. (Some people are absent.)
J’ai vu certains films intéressants. (I saw some interesting movies.)

8. Un tas de

Pronunciation: uh tah duh
Meaning: A bunch of/a heap of
In a Sentence:

Il y a un tas de vêtements sur le lit. (There’s a bunch of clothes on the bed.)
Nous avons un tas de choses à faire. (We have a bunch of things to do.)

9. Un morceau de

Pronunciation: uh mor-so duh
Meaning: A piece of
In a Sentence:

Donne-moi un morceau de gâteau. (Give me a piece of cake.)
Elle a mangé un morceau de chocolat. (She ate a piece of chocolate.)

10. Une poignée de

Pronunciation: oon pwan-yay duh
Meaning: A handful of
In a Sentence:

Prends une poignée de noix. (Take a handful of nuts.)
Il a jeté une poignée de graines aux oiseaux. (He threw a handful of seeds to the birds.)

11. Pas mal de

Pronunciation: pah mahl duh
Meaning: Quite a few
In a Sentence:

Il y a pas mal de livres ici. (There are quite a few books here.)
Nous avons pas mal de temps. (We have quite a bit of time.)

12. Une partie de

Pronunciation: oon par-tee duh
Meaning: A part of/some of
In a Sentence:

Une partie de l’équipe est absente. (Some of the team is absent.)
J’ai lu une partie de ce livre. (I read part of this book.)

13. Une portion de

Pronunciation: oon por-syon duh
Meaning: A portion of
In a Sentence:

Servez-moi une portion de riz. (Serve me a portion of rice.)
Il a mangé une portion de légumes. (He ate a portion of vegetables.)

14. Une tranche de

Pronunciation: oon trahnsh duh
Meaning: A slice of
In a Sentence:

J’aimerais une tranche de pain. (I’d like a slice of bread.)
Elle a pris une tranche de fromage. (She took a slice of cheese.)

15. Une goutte de

Pronunciation: oon goot duh
Meaning: A drop of
In a Sentence:

Ajoute une goutte de citron. (Add a drop of lemon.)
Il a mis une goutte de vinaigre dans la salade. (He put a drop of vinegar in the salad.)

16. Une pincée de

Pronunciation: oon pan-say duh
Meaning: A pinch of
In a Sentence:

Mets une pincée de sel. (Put a pinch of salt.)
Ajoute une pincée de poivre. (Add a pinch of pepper.)

17. Une quantité de

Pronunciation: oon kahn-tee-tay duh
Meaning: An amount of
In a Sentence:

Nous avons une quantité de travail à faire. (We have a lot of work to do.)
Une quantité de personnes sont venues. (A number of people came.)

18. Quelques morceaux de

Pronunciation: kel-kuh mor-so duh
Meaning: Some pieces of
In a Sentence:

J’ai mangé quelques morceaux de fruits. (I ate some pieces of fruit.)
Quelques morceaux de gâteau sont restés. (Some pieces of cake were left.)

19. Une boîte de

Pronunciation: oon bwaht duh
Meaning: A box/can of
In a Sentence:

J’ai acheté une boîte de céréales. (I bought a box of cereal.)
Nous avons une boîte de haricots. (We have a can of beans.)

20. Une bouteille de

Pronunciation: oon boo-tay duh
Meaning: A bottle of
In a Sentence:

Elle a pris une bouteille de jus. (She took a bottle of juice.)
Il a acheté une bouteille de lait. (He bought a bottle of milk.)

21. Un bol de

Pronunciation: uh bol duh
Meaning: A bowl of
In a Sentence:

Je veux un bol de soupe. (I want a bowl of soup.)
Il a mangé un bol de céréales. (He ate a bowl of cereal.)

22. Une assiette de

Pronunciation: oon ah-syet duh
Meaning: A plate of
In a Sentence:

Servez-moi une assiette de pâtes. (Serve me a plate of pasta.)
Elle a commandé une assiette de légumes. (She ordered a plate of vegetables.)

23. Un panier de

Pronunciation: uh pah-nee-ay duh
Meaning: A basket of
In a Sentence:

Il a acheté un panier de pommes. (He bought a basket of apples.)
Nous avons cueilli un panier de fraises. (We picked a basket of strawberries.)

24. Une tasse de

Pronunciation: oon tass duh
Meaning: A cup of
In a Sentence:

J’ai bu une tasse de thé. (I drank a cup of tea.)
Elle a préparé une tasse de café. (She made a cup of coffee.)

25. Une poignée de

Pronunciation: oon pwan-yay duh
Meaning: A handful of
In a Sentence:

Prends une poignée de bonbons. (Take a handful of candies.)
Elle a jeté une poignée de graines aux oiseaux. (She threw a handful of seeds to the birds.)

26. Une tranche de

Pronunciation: oon trahnsh duh
Meaning: A slice of
In a Sentence:

Je voudrais une tranche de jambon. (I’d like a slice of ham.)
Il a pris une tranche de pizza. (He took a slice of pizza.)

27. Un kilo de

Pronunciation: uh kee-lo duh
Meaning: A kilogram of
In a Sentence:

J’ai acheté un kilo de pommes de terre. (I bought a kilogram of potatoes.)
Ils ont commandé un kilo de viande. (They ordered a kilogram of meat.)

28. Une douzaine de

Pronunciation: oon doo-zen duh
Meaning: A dozen of
In a Sentence:

Nous avons acheté une douzaine de croissants. (We bought a dozen croissants.)
Elle a commandé une douzaine de roses. (She ordered a dozen roses.)

Other Ways to Say “Some” in French

Below is a table with different ways to say “some” in French, along with their pronunciation, meaning, and example sentences.

Other Ways to Say	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentences
Plusieurs	pleuh-zyuhr	Several	Plusieurs personnes sont venues. (Several people came.)
Beaucoup de	boh-koo duh	A lot of/many	Il y a beaucoup de fruits sur la table. (There are many fruits on the table.)
Assez de	ah-say duh	Enough of	Nous avons assez de temps. (We have enough time.)
Moins de	mwah duh	Less of	Il y a moins de bruit aujourd’hui. (There is less noise today.)
Trop de	tro duh	Too much/many	Il a mangé trop de bonbons. (He ate too many candies.)
Un grand nombre de	uh grahn nohmb duh	A large number of	Un grand nombre de personnes étaient présentes. (A large number of people were present.)
Une foule de	oon fool duh	A crowd of	Il y avait une foule de supporters au stade. (There was a crowd of supporters at the stadium.)
Une variété de	oon va-ree-ay-tay duh	A variety of	Ils ont acheté une variété de légumes. (They bought a variety of vegetables.)
Quelques-uns/unes	kel-kuh-zun/oon	Some (people/things)	Quelques-uns sont restés après la réunion. (Some stayed after the meeting.)
Divers	dee-vehr	Various	Ils ont essayé divers plats. (They tried various dishes.)
Pas beaucoup de	pah boh-koo duh	Not many/not much	Il n’y a pas beaucoup de neige cette année. (There isn’t much snow this year.)
Une petite quantité de	oon puh-teet kahn-tee-tay duh	A small amount of	Nous avons utilisé une petite quantité de sucre. (We used a small amount of sugar.)
Un certain nombre de	uh sehr-tan nohmb duh	A certain number of	Un certain nombre de questions ont été posées. (A certain number of questions were asked.)
Pas un seul	pah uh sohl	Not a single one	Il n’y a pas un seul livre ici. (There isn’t a single book here.)
Une poignée de	oon pwan-yay duh	A handful of	Elle a pris une poignée de noix. (She took a handful of nuts.)
La plupart de	lah ploo-par duh	Most of	La plupart de ses amis sont partis. (Most of his friends left.)
Une série de	oon say-ree duh	A series of	Ils ont regardé une série de films. (They watched a series of movies.)
Une gamme de	oon gahm duh	A range of	L’entreprise offre une gamme de services. (The company offers a range of services.)
D’autres	doh-truh	Others/some others	Il a rencontré d’autres étudiants à la bibliothèque. (He met other students at the library.)

Responses to “Some” in French

When someone uses “some” in French, the response depends on the context. You might agree, clarify, or express a specific amount. Here are common responses to “some” in French conversations:

1. Oui, bien sûr

Pronunciation: wee byan soor
Meaning: Yes, of course
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux du café? (Do you want some coffee?)
Person 2: Oui, bien sûr. (Yes, of course.)

2. Non, merci

Pronunciation: nohn mehr-see
Meaning: No, thank you
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux de la salade? (Do you want some salad?)
Person 2: Non, merci. (No, thank you.)

3. Un peu, s’il te plaît

Pronunciation: uh puh, seel tuh pleh
Meaning: A little, please
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Veux-tu un peu de sucre? (Do you want a little sugar?)
Person 2: Un peu, s’il te plaît. (A little, please.)

4. Pas beaucoup

Pronunciation: pah boh-koo
Meaning: Not much
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux des fruits? (Do you want some fruits?)
Person 2: Pas beaucoup, juste un peu. (Not much, just a little.)

5. Juste assez

Pronunciation: zhust ah-say
Meaning: Just enough
In a Sentence:

Person 1: As-tu **de l’**eau? (Do you have some water?)
Person 2: Juste assez pour nous. (Just enough for us.)

6. Ça suffit

Pronunciation: sah soo-fee
Meaning: That’s enough
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Je peux te donner des légumes? (Can I give you some vegetables?)
Person 2: Ça suffit, merci! (That’s enough, thank you!)

7. Donne-moi un peu plus

Pronunciation: dun mwah uh puh ploo
Meaning: Give me a bit more
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux du fromage? (Do you want some cheese?)
Person 2: Donne-moi un peu plus, s’il te plaît. (Give me a bit more, please.)

8. C’est trop

Pronunciation: say troh
Meaning: That’s too much
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Je t’ai donné des bonbons. (I gave you some candies.)
Person 2: C’est trop! Je ne peux pas tout manger. (That’s too much! I can’t eat it all.)

9. Pourquoi pas?

Pronunciation: poor-kwah pah
Meaning: Why not?
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux un peu de gâteau? (Do you want some cake?)
Person 2: Pourquoi pas? (Why not?)

10. Pas maintenant

Pronunciation: pah mahn-ten-ah
Meaning: Not now
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux de la glace? (Do you want some ice cream?)
Person 2: Pas maintenant, merci. (Not now, thank you.)

11. Je veux bien

Pronunciation: zhuh vuh byan
Meaning: I’d like some
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux du jus? (Do you want some juice?)
Person 2: Je veux bien, merci! (I’d like some, thank you!)

12. Avec plaisir

Pronunciation: ah-vek pleh-zeer
Meaning: With pleasure
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Puis-je vous servir des biscuits? (May I serve you some cookies?)
Person 2: Avec plaisir! (With pleasure!)

13. Ça ira

Pronunciation: sah ee-rah
Meaning: That will be fine
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Vous voulez un peu de pain? (Do you want some bread?)
Person 2: Ça ira, merci. (That will be fine, thank you.)

14. Peut-être plus tard

Pronunciation: puh-teh-truh ploo tar
Meaning: Maybe later
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Tu veux du chocolat? (Do you want some chocolate?)
Person 2: Peut-être plus tard. (Maybe later.)

15. Pas du tout

Pronunciation: pah dyoo too
Meaning: Not at all
In a Sentence:

Person 1: Veux-tu des légumes? (Do you want some vegetables?)
Person 2: Pas du tout! Je n’aime pas ça. (Not at all! I don’t like that.)

Exercise to Practice Saying “Some” in French

Below are 12 fill-in-the-blank exercises using different ways to say “some” in French. Each sentence includes its English meaning. Try to complete them using the correct French expressions.

Fill-in-the-Blanks

Je voudrais ________ lait pour mon café. (I would like some milk for my coffee.)
Nous avons acheté ________ pommes au marché. (We bought some apples at the market.)
Elle a pris ________ gâteau après le dîner. (She took some cake after dinner.)
Ils ont besoin de ________ eau pour la randonnée. (They need some water for the hike.)
Peux-tu me passer ________ pain, s’il te plaît? (Can you pass me some bread, please?)
J’ai mangé ________ fraises au petit déjeuner. (I ate some strawberries at breakfast.)
Nous avons vu ________ étoiles dans le ciel la nuit dernière. (We saw some stars in the sky last night.)
Donnez-moi ________ fromage avec le dîner. (Give me some cheese with dinner.)
Il reste encore ________ riz dans le bol. (There is still some rice left in the bowl.)
Elle veut acheter ________ fleurs pour le jardin. (She wants to buy some flowers for the garden.)
Ils ont partagé ________ idées intéressantes lors de la réunion. (They shared some interesting ideas during the meeting.)
As-tu ________ sucre pour mon thé? (Do you have some sugar for my tea?)

Answers

Du lait
Des pommes
Du gâteau
De l’ eau
Du pain
Des fraises
Des étoiles
Du fromage
Du riz
Des fleurs
Des idées
Du sucre

Conclusion

Mastering how to say “some” in French is an essential step toward speaking the language fluently. Whether you are talking about food, objects, or abstract ideas, using words like du, de la, des, and de l’ helps you express yourself clearly.

Keep practicing these forms in everyday conversations, especially when ordering at restaurants, shopping, or describing things around you. The more you practice, the easier it will be to sound natural and confident when speaking French. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)