French word

beaucoup

Pronunciation

IPA/boku/

Meaning

  • adverba lot

Example

Il y a beaucoup de monde ici.

There are a lot of people here.

Illustration for beaucoup (a lot)

More examples

Nous avons beaucoup de travail aujourd'hui.

We have a lot of work today.

Core concept

One measure that becomes very large, whether it counts things or measures intensity.

Common phrases

  • beaucoup de

    a lot of

  • beaucoup trop

    far too much

Similar words

très: To an exceptionally high degree.
peu: In limited amounts or to a limited degree.
trop: Beyond what is reasonable in amount or degree.

Definition in French

Signifie une grande quantité ou un fort degré ; il suit le verbe pour l'intensité et s'emploie avec 'de' devant un nom.

Word origin

Beaucoup developed from the Old French expression beau coup, meaning a large amount, and later functioned as one adverb.

Usage tips

  • In Merci beaucoup, beaucoup intensifies the thanks and does not mean that the speaker is thanking many people.

Other meanings

  • manyadjective

Opposites

  • peulittleadverb

Word lists with this word