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Exclamative Sentences
French builds exclamations by putting one of four frames in front of a noun or a plain statement: quel + noun, comme + statement, qu’est-ce que + statement in speech, and bare que + statement in writing. Nothing inverts and nothing else moves — the frame and the final ! do all the work:
Quelle journée ! Comme je suis content !
English says "what a…!" for nouns and "how…!" or "so…" for the rest; quel covers the first, the other three frames the second.
In short
- Quel + noun, no article, agreeing with the noun = "what (a)…!": Quelle chance !
- Comme / qu’est-ce que / que + a plain statement = "how / so…!" — comme is neutral, qu’est-ce que spoken, que formal.
- Inside a statement, si or tellement before the adjective says "so": C’est si bon !
- French leaves a space before the exclamation mark: « Quelle chance ! »
exclamative frameintensifier (si / tellement)· hover a highlighted word for its label
The four frames at a glance
All four do the same job with different building blocks: quel attaches to a noun, the other three stand in front of a complete statement in normal word order.
| Frame | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| quel (+ adjective) + noun | any | Quelle chance ! |
| comme + statement | neutral | Comme il fait beau ! |
| qu’est-ce que + statement | spoken | Qu’est-ce que c’est bon ! |
| que + statement | formal, written | Que c’est calme ici ! |
Quel + noun: what a…!
English needs "a" — "What a surprise!" — but French does not: quel takes the article’s seat, so no le, la, un or une follows it. An adjective can slip in between quel and the noun. The ending of quel copies the noun’s gender and number; the four forms live on quel vs quelle.
What a surprise!
— Quelle stands directly before the noun — no article, unlike English "a".
What beautiful gardens!
— Quels copies the masculine plural of jardins; the adjective slots in between.
Comme + statement
Put comme in front of an ordinary statement and it exclaims over the whole thing — "how…!". The statement keeps its normal word order: no inversion, nothing moves. Comme is the neutral choice, fine in any register.
How kind that is!
— Comme exclaims over the whole statement c’est gentil.
How well he sings!
— After Comme the sentence keeps plain statement order — il chante bien.
Qu’est-ce que (spoken) and que (written)
Everyday spoken French prefers qu’est-ce que in the same slot: same meaning, same statement order behind it. Despite its shape, this qu’est-ce que asks nothing — it is exclamative, not interrogative; the question use ("what…?") is a different pattern, covered under question words. At the opposite end of the register scale, bare que + statement sounds formal or literary.
It’s so cold!
— Spoken French loves Qu’est-ce qu’ as an exclamation — not a question here.
How beautiful it is!
— Bare Que does the same job in careful or written French.
Si, tellement, and the frozen staples
You can also skip the frame entirely and heat the statement up from the inside: si or tellement before an adjective or adverb means "so". Finally, a few staples work as complete exclamations on their own, learned whole:
Quel dommage ! Quelle horreur ! Bravo !
It’s so good!
— No frame at all: tellement intensifies the adjective inside a normal statement.
Common mistakes
✗Quel un beau jardin !
✓Quel beau jardin !
English says "What a…", but quel takes the article’s place: no un (or le, la, une) after it — quel beau jardin.
✗Comme est-ce beau !
✓Comme c’est beau !
Exclamative comme is followed by a plain statement in normal order — no inversion and no question frame.
✗Quel il fait beau !
✓Comme il fait beau !
Quel frames a noun; to exclaim over a whole statement, use comme (or qu’est-ce que / que).
Check yourself
1 / 3___ belle vue ! (What a beautiful view!)
2 / 3___ tu as grandi ! (How you’ve grown!)
3 / 3Ce film est ___ triste ! (so sad)
Frequently asked questions
What does « Comme c’est beau ! » mean?
"How beautiful (it is)!" — comme in front of an ordinary statement turns it into an exclamation: comme c’est gentil (how kind), comme il fait chaud (it’s so hot). The statement keeps its normal word order.
Can qu’est-ce que be used in exclamations?
Yes — in spoken French, qu’est-ce que + statement means "so / such a lot": Qu’est-ce qu’il fait froid ! ("it’s so cold!"). It is not a question here; the interrogative qu’est-ce que ("what…?") is a separate pattern, explained under question words.
What is the difference between comme, que and qu’est-ce que in exclamations?
Only the register — the meaning is the same. Comme is neutral (Comme c’est gentil !), qu’est-ce que belongs to casual speech (Qu’est-ce que c’est loin !), and bare que is formal or literary (Que c’est beau !).
Memory tip
Exclaiming over a noun? Reach for quel and drop the article. Exclaiming over a whole statement? Put comme in front — and change nothing else.
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