The exclamative phrases in French
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HideWhat is an exclamative phrase in French ?
The exclamatory phrase (French: la phrase exclamative) expresses a strong emotion such as surprise, joy, anger, etc. It always ends with an exclamation point (!).
It can easily be identified because:
- It always ends with an exclamation point
- It often starts with words like: que, quel, comme, quelle
- In oral speech, the intonation of the voice is rising.
- An exclamatory sentence can be formed only with one word
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Examples
| Phrases exclamatives | Translations |
|---|---|
| Quelle belle surprise ! | (What a beautiful surprise !) |
| Comme tu es jolie ! | (How lovely you look !) |
| Quelle jolie maison ! | (What a beautiful house !) |
| Génial ! | (Awesome !) |
Note that, the exclamative phrase is similar to the imperative phrase as they end with an exclamation point. Therefore, you have to identify the emotion or the feeling of the sentence.
The exclamative phrases and the forms
The exclamative phrases can take all forms but usually the affirmative form and the negative form. Therefore they will not have a pronoun but a normal sentence.
| Forms | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Elle fait tout pour toi ! | (She does everything for you !) |
| Negative | Elle ne fait rien pour toi ! | (She does anything for you !) |
| Neutral | Quelle belle vue ! | (What a beautiful view !) |
| Impersonal | Quel vent fort ! | (What an intense wind !) |