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plus vs davantage

ByFast French

Plus

The word “plus” is very common in French. It usually means “more” and can be used in comparisons, quantities, or to indicate an increase.

1. Comparisons

  • Il est plus intelligent que sa sœur. (He is more intelligent than his sister.)
  • Il fait plus chaud aujourd’hui qu’hier. (It’s hotter today than yesterday.)

2. Quantities

  • Je veux plus de chocolat. (I want more chocolate.)
  • Il y a plus de monde que prévu à la soirée. (There are more people than expected at the party.)

3. Indicating an increase

  • Travaille plus si tu veux réussir. (Work more if you want to succeed.)
  • Il mange plus depuis qu’il fait du sport. (He eats more since he started playing sports.)

Note: When “plus” is used in a negative sentence, the “s” is silent:

  • Je ne veux plus de café. (I don’t want coffee anymore.)

Davantage

The word “davantage” also means “more,” but it is more formal and mostly used in writing or professional speech. It cannot be used in comparisons like “plus.”

1. Expressing a greater quantity

  • Il faut davantage de patience pour apprendre une langue. (More patience is needed to learn a language.)
  • J’ai besoin de davantage de temps pour finir ce projet. (I need more time to finish this project.)

2. Expressing an increase in intensity

  • Il faut travailler davantage pour obtenir de bons résultats. (One must work more to get good results.)
  • Ce film m’a davantage ému que le précédent. (This movie moved me more than the previous one.)

3. Formal replacement for “plus”

  • Nous souhaitons davantage d’informations sur cette question. (We would like more information on this issue.)
  • Il aurait fallu davantage d’efforts pour réussir. (More effort would have been needed to succeed.)

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