|

comme

The French word “comme” can function either as an adverb or as a conjunction.

Adverb

As an adverb, “comme” means “how.”

  • comme il est malin ! (how clever he is!)
  • comme elle est belle ! (how beautiful she is!)
  • comme j’aime nager ! (how I love to swim!)

Another word that is used similarly is “que.”

  • que vous êtes jolie ! (how pretty you are!)
  • que c’est difficile ! (how difficult it is!)
  • que c’est beau ! (how beautiful it is!)

Conjunction

Comme as a conjunction can mean “as” or “like.”

  • comme toujours (as always)
  • ils sont bêtes, lui comme elle (he is as stupid as she is)
  • fais comme moi (do as I do)
  • contente-toi de dire comme moi (just say the same thing as me)
  • rouge comme une pivoine (red as a beetroot)
  • elle me traite comme un enfant (she treats me as if I were a child)
  • un chapeau comme celui-là (a hat like that one)
  • qu’est-ce que vous avez comme couleurs ? (what colours do you have?)
  • qu’est-ce qu’il y a comme vaisselle ? (what is there in the way of crockery?)
  • comme s’il dormait (as if he was sleeping)
  • maigre comme elle est (she’s so thin)
  • travailler comme jardinier (to work as a gardener)
  • comme elle était seule (since she was alone)
  • comme il traversait la rue (as he was crossing the road)

Idiomatic expressions

  • comme quoi ! (which just shows!)
  • comme çi comme ça (so so)

Etymology:

The word “comme” comes from the Latin word “quam.” In Old French, it became “com,” eventually transforming into the present-day “comme.”

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • là vs y

    In French, the two words that mean “there” (“là” and “y”) are often confused by language learners, but they serve distinct grammatical functions and have different uses in sentences. Là (there) “Là” is primarily an adverb of place meaning “there” or “here.” It indicates a specific location and can be used to point out or…

  • c’est fort de café

    “c’est fort de café !” means “it’s over the top!” or simply “it’s too much!”. This idiom is a way of saying something is excessive or exaggerated. It translates literally as “it’s strong of coffee” (or “this coffee is strong!”) and comes from a 17th century expression “c’est trop fort,” meaning literally “it’s too strong,”…

  • fois, foi and foie

    What are the differences between the three French homonyms (words that sound the same, in this case) la fois, la foi and le foie? These three words are pronounced identically, but have quite different meanings. La fois La fois means “the time.” It always ends in the letter “s,” even when it is singular. Despite…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *