adjectivedeterminerpronounpronoun

certain

certain · sure

Qui est sûr ou sans doute possible.

Definition & meaning

Certain is a French adjective and determiner with several related meanings:

Certain, sure, definite
It describes something regarded as true, reliable, or guaranteed.
- C’est certain. — “That is certain.”
- Un résultat certain — “A definite or guaranteed result.”
Some, a particular but unspecified
Before a singular noun, un certain / une certaine means “a certain” or “some particular.”
- À un certain moment — “At a certain moment.”
- Une certaine quantité — “A certain amount.”
Certain people or things
In the plural, certains / certaines can mean “some,” referring to an unspecified part of a group.
- Certaines personnes préfèrent travailler seules. — “Some people prefer to work alone.”
Notable or considerable, in some contexts
- Il possède un certain talent. — “He possesses a certain talent.”
  Here, it suggests a noticeable but not necessarily exceptional degree of talent.

The adjective agrees in gender and number:

certain — masculine singular
certaine — feminine singular
certains — masculine plural or mixed plural
certaines — feminine plural

Grammar & Word origin

Certain can function as:

An adjective: une information certaine — “reliable information”
A determiner: un certain nombre — “a certain number”
A pronoun in the plural: Certains sont partis. — “Some have left.”

When it means “sure,” it commonly appears after the noun or in expressions such as être certain de — “to be certain of.”

Je suis certain de son succès. — “I am certain of his success.”

When it means “a certain” or “some,” it usually comes before the noun:

un certain homme — “a certain man”

The word comes from Latin certus, meaning “decided,” “fixed,” or “sure.” It is related to certitude (“certainty”) and certainement (“certainly”).

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

Depending on the meaning:

sûr — “sure” or “certain”; more common in everyday speech and often interchangeable with certain when expressing confidence.
assuré — “assured” or “guaranteed”; emphasizes reliability or confidence.
indubitable — “undoubtable”; more formal and stronger than certain.
quelques — “some” or “a few”; similar to plural certains, but usually suggests a limited number rather than an unspecified selection.
un certain [?](vocabuo://word/un certain) — “a particular” or “a certain”; emphasizes an unspecified individual or thing.

Antonyms

incertain — “uncertain”; the direct antonym when certain means sure or definite.
douteux — “doubtful” or “questionable”; suggests that something may not be true or reliable.
indéterminé — “undetermined” or “unspecified”; contrasts with the meaning of something clearly defined.
aucun — “no” or “none”; can contrast with certains when referring to some members of a group rather than none.

Common phrases & collocations

être certain de [?](vocabuo://word/être certain de) — to be certain of
être certain que [?](vocabuo://word/être certain que) — to be certain that
à un certain moment [?](vocabuo://word/à un certain moment) — at a certain point or moment
un certain nombre de [?](vocabuo://word/un certain nombre de) — a certain number of
dans une certaine mesure [?](vocabuo://word/dans une certaine mesure) — to a certain extent
pour une certaine raison [?](vocabuo://word/pour une certaine raison) — for a certain reason
à coup sûr [?](vocabuo://word/à coup sûr) — for sure; certainly
c’est certain [?](vocabuo://word/c’est certain) — that is certain
certains d’entre eux [?](vocabuo://word/certains d’entre eux) — some of them