certains
some
Ce mot parle de quelques personnes ou choses, mais pas toutes.
Meaning in English
Certains is the plural form of certain. It can be:
-
An adjective meaning “certain / definite / sure”
- Il est certain que… → “It is certain that…”
- des faits certains → “certain/established facts”
-
A determiner or pronoun meaning “some / certain (ones/people/things)” (i.e., not all, an unspecified subset)
- Certains pensent que… → “Some people think that…”
- Dans certains cas → “In certain/some cases”
Parts / Form
- Base form: certain
- certains = masculine plural
- Feminine forms: certaine (fem. sing.), certaines (fem. pl.)
French synonyms
Depending on meaning:
1) “Sure/definite”
- sûr
- assuré
- indubitable
- incontestable
- avéré
2) “Some (unspecified)”
- quelques
- plusieurs
- divers
- d’aucuns (more formal/literary, often “some people”)
French antonyms
Depending on meaning:
1) Opposite of “certain/sure”
- incertain
- douteux
- contestable
- discutable
2) Opposite of “some (as opposed to all)”
- tous / toutes (“all”)
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Examples
Certains amis viennent ce soir.determiner
Some friends are coming tonight.
Certains élèves aiment lire des livres.determiner
Some students like to read books.
Certains préfèrent travailler le matin.pronoun
Some prefer to work in the morning.
Certains ont oublié leurs devoirs hier.pronoun
Some forgot their homework yesterday.
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