French Phrase
Cette tempête est plutôt violente.
Meaning
The sentence means “This storm is rather violent.” It conveys that the storm is quite strong, but the adverb ‘plutôt’ softens the statement, suggesting it’s not the most extreme possible.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to comment on a storm or any intense weather event, whether you’re speaking on the phone, writing a weather report, or chatting with friends about the day’s conditions.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Cettetempêteestplutôtviolente
Cette (demonstrative adjective)
Used before a feminine singular noun to mean 'this' or 'that'. It must agree in gender and number with the noun.
tempête (noun, feminine)
Means 'storm'. As a feminine noun, any accompanying adjectives must be in the feminine form.
est (être, 3rd person singular)
The present tense of the verb 'to be' used to link subject and description.
plutôt (adverb)
Means 'rather' or 'somewhat', used to moderate the intensity of the adjective that follows.
violente (adjective, feminine)
The feminine form of 'violent', agreeing with the noun 'tempête'.
🗨In Conversation
Comment est la météo aujourd'hui ?
How's the weather today?
Cette tempête est plutôt violente.
This storm is rather violent.
✕Common Mistakes
Cette tempête est plutôt violent.
The adjective must agree with the feminine noun ‘tempête’, so use ‘violente’.
Cette tempête est violente plutôt.
‘Plutôt’ should come before the adjective, not after the verb ‘est’.
Cette tempête est très plutôt violente.
Avoid stacking adverbs; ‘très’ and ‘plutôt’ together sound redundant.
↔Alternatives
Cette tempête est violente.
This storm is violent.
Cette tempête est assez violente.
This storm is quite violent.
Cette tempête est très violente.
This storm is very violent.
Cultural Tip
In French, ‘plutôt’ is a polite way to describe something intense without sounding alarmist. It’s common in everyday conversation and news reports to temper strong adjectives. Remember that ‘tempête’ is feminine, so adjectives must match (e.g., ‘violente’, not ‘violent’).