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Si…que or tellement…que? A French result-clause quiz

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Try eight questions on so…that in French: si lourd que, parler tellement and tellement de questions. Compare degree, quantity and condition.

In short

Si…que and tellement…que mean so…that. Use either before an adjective or adverb: si difficile que or tellement difficile que. Use tellement with a verb and tellement de with a noun quantity.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Two friends laughing together during a break at a French café table, small simplified faces, natural hands.
They ont tellement ri that they needed a break. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: four frames
What you intensifyFrenchEnglish
AdjectiveC’est si simple que tout le monde comprend.It’s so simple that everyone understands.
AdverbElle explique tellement clairement que je comprends tout.She explains so clearly that I understand everything.
VerbNous avons tellement ri que nous avons dû faire une pause.We laughed so much that we had to take a break.
Noun quantityIl y a tellement de questions que le débat se prolonge.There are so many questions that the debate goes on longer.

The part after que is a complete result clause, with its own subject and conjugated verb. In these affirmative statements of a result, use the indicative. Before a vowel, que becomes qu’: Il parle tellement qu’il en oublie l’heure.

In C’est si simple que…, si means so. In Si c’est simple, je le ferai, it means if. The word’s position gives you a quick clue: degree si sits directly before simple, while conditional si opens the whole clause.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Choose so much with the verb.Il travaille ___ qu’il oublie l’heure.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    tellement. Tellement modifies the amount of working directly. Si needs an adjective or adverb in this frame.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Choose the complete so many sentence.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Elle a tellement d’idées qu’elle remplit trois pages.. Use tellement de before a noun quantity. Before idées, de elides to d’.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Use si to describe the degree of difficulty.Ce texte est ___ difficile que je le relis.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    si. Si goes directly before the adjective difficile. The clause after que gives the result.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Which word can replace si here?Elle parle si vite que je prends des notes.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    tellement. Tellement vite que is also correct. Both degree words can modify the adverb vite.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    Complete the result clause.Le débat est si long ___ nous faisons une pause.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    que. Que introduces the result clause nous faisons une pause, which has its own subject and verb.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Which sentence states a degree and result?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Il est si fatigué qu’il se couche tôt.. Si fatigué qu’il… links intensity to a result. The second gives a condition; the third gives a purpose.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Keep the noun-quantity pattern.Il y a tellement ___ bruit que je ferme la fenêtre.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    de. For this quantity of noise, write tellement de bruit. Bruit is a masculine singular noun here.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    Choose the stated result in the indicative.Elle explique si bien que nous ___.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    comprenons. The sentence states a present result, so use nous comprenons, a present indicative form.

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