4 May 2000

1.1.4.7 Indefinite Adjectives, in L'Huillier, Advanced French Grammar


presentation of L'Huillier's work, by Corry Shores

[Subsection headings are my own]



Monique L'Huillier

Advanced French Grammar

1. Framework

1.1 Parts of Speech

1.1.4 Determiners

1.1.4.7 Indefinite Adjectives


(i) Indefinite Adjectives as Determiners


When indefinite adjectives are determiners, they usually imply a countable or uncountable quality of something. For this reason, they are called 'quantifiers.'

Ex,
Quelconques personnes viennent d'arriver.
A few people have just arrived.

J'ai encore pas mal de travail à faire.
I've still got a fair amount of work to do.

Note that we may combine some indefinite adjectives with other determiners:
Ex,
tous les chats noirs; les quelques chats noirs

Yet other indefinite adjectives cannot be combined with additional determiners.
Ex,
les plusieurs chats noirs.


(ii) Non-Determiner Indefinite Adjectives 


There are some indefinite adjectives that are not determiners. These words might express the following:
1) imprecision,
Ex,
Il lisait une revue quelconque.
2) identity,
Ex,
J'ai la même robe que toi.
3) difference/contrast
Ex,
J'ai un autre parapluie, si celui-ce ne te plaît pas.

 
L'Huillier, Monique. Advanced French Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
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