comme (exclamatif)
How... with Comme
The exclamative comme is used to emphasize the intensity of a quality or an action. It translates to 'How...!' or 'So...!' and is followed by a standard subject-verb sentence structure.
How It Works
1. Usage and Meaning
Exclamative comme is a standard way to express strong emotion or intensity. It is more expressive than the neutral que and is very common in both spoken and written French.
2. Sentence Structure
The word order remains the same as a normal statement (Subject + Verb). There is no inversion.
- With Adjectives: Comme il est grand ! (How tall he is!)
- With Adverbs: Comme elle court vite ! (How fast she runs!)
- With Verbs: Comme il a plu ! (How it rained!)
3. No Elision
A critical rule for comme is that it never elides. Even if the next word starts with a vowel, you must keep the 'e'.
Example: Comme il est beau ! (Correct) vs Comm'il est beau ! (Incorrect).
4. Comparison with Other Exclamatives
While comme modifies clauses, quel is used specifically to modify nouns (e.g., Quel beau temps !).
Examples (5)
- Comme tu as grandi depuis l'été dernier !
How much you've grown since last summer!
Word by Word: How you have grown since the summer last!
Here, 'comme' emphasizes the intensity of the action (growing).
- Comme c'est gentil de votre part !
How kind of you!
Word by Word: How it is kind of your part!
In this case, 'comme' modifies the adjective 'gentil' to express admiration.
- Comme il fait froid ce matin !
How cold it is this morning!
Word by Word: How it makes cold this morning!
Used with a weather expression to emphasize the intensity of the cold.
- Comme elle chante bien !
How well she sings!
Word by Word: How she sings well!
Here, 'comme' modifies the adverb 'bien' to show surprise or praise.
- Comme il est intelligent !
How intelligent he is!
Word by Word: How he is intelligent!
Note that 'comme' does not elide before the vowel in 'il'.
Common Mistakes
Using elision (Comm') before a vowel.
Comm'elle est belle !Comme elle est belle !Unlike 'que', the word 'comme' never drops its final 'e' before a vowel sound.
Inverting the subject and verb.
Comme est-il grand !Comme il est grand !Exclamative 'comme' uses standard statement word order, not the inversion used in questions.
Using 'comme' to modify a noun directly.
Comme une belle voiture !Quelle belle voiture !To emphasize a noun, you must use the exclamative adjective 'quel'. 'Comme' must be followed by a full clause (subject + verb).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'comme' as an exclamative, you need to understand basic French sentence structure (SVO) because 'comme' is simply placed at the beginning of a standard declarative sentence to add emphasis. Familiarity with common descriptive phrases, such as weather expressions, provides the necessary vocabulary for these exclamations. Additionally, knowing the interrogative 'comment' helps bridge the conceptual gap between asking 'how' and exclaiming 'how!'.
- il fait + Weather WordWeather with Il Fait
The pattern is frequently used with weather expressions (e.g., 'Comme il fait beau !'), making this a common functional context for the exclamation.
Level 1 - commentHow with Comment
Learners should be familiar with 'comment' (how) to understand the semantic link to 'comme' when used to express 'how [adjective]' in an exclamation.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- que (exclamatif)What a... with Que
'Que' is a more neutral alternative to 'comme' for exclamations, but it must elide (qu') before vowels.
Level 3 - quel (exclamatif)What a... with Quel
'Quel' is used for exclamations involving nouns, whereas 'comme' is used for clauses.
Level 3 - Dropping a vowel before another vowel
It is important to remember that 'comme' is an exception to the general rule of elision.
Level 1 - Subject-verb-object order
'Comme' preserves the standard Subject-Verb-Object order of French statements.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice comme (exclamatif) in Bubblegum
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