French Phrase
Les étudiants ont trop hâte.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘The students are very eager’ or ‘The students can’t wait.’ It conveys a strong anticipation, often about an upcoming event such as a concert, exam, or trip.
When to use
Use this phrase in informal spoken French when you want to comment on a group’s excitement. It works well before a school event, a field trip, or any situation where the students are visibly impatient.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lesétudiantsonttrophâte
Article + Noun Agreement
‘Les’ is the plural definite article and must agree in number with the noun ‘étudiants’.
Verb ‘avoir’ (present)
‘ont’ is the third‑person plural present of ‘avoir’, used here to form the expression ‘avoir hâte’.
Adverb ‘trop’
‘trop’ intensifies the feeling; placed before the noun ‘hâte’ it means ‘very’ or ‘too’ eager.
Expression ‘avoir hâte’
Literally ‘to have haste’; it is the standard way to say ‘to be eager’ and is followed by ‘de + infinitive’ when an action is specified.
🗨In Conversation
Les étudiants ont trop hâte pour le concert de ce soir.
The students are really excited for tonight’s concert.
Oui, ils arrivent déjà à la salle de répétition.
Yes, they’re already arriving at the rehearsal hall.
✕Common Mistakes
Les étudiants ont trop d'hâte.
‘Hâte’ is not countable; you don’t add ‘de’ after ‘trop’. Use ‘trop hâte’ instead.
Les étudiants sont trop hâte.
The verb must be ‘avoir’, not ‘être’, in the expression ‘avoir hâte’.
Les étudiants ont trop hâte de.
When no infinitive follows, omit ‘de’. ‘Ont trop hâte’ stands alone; adding ‘de’ without a verb is incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Les étudiants sont très impatients.
The students are very impatient.
Les étudiants ont hâte.
The students can’t wait.
Les étudiants sont impatients.
The students are eager.
Cultural Tip
‘Avoir hâte’ is the go‑to construction for expressing anticipation in French. Adding ‘trop’ makes it colloquial and slightly informal, so it’s perfect for casual conversation but should be avoided in formal writing. In some regions, speakers may say ‘trop pressés’ (too rushed) but ‘trop hâte’ remains the most natural for excitement.