You’re sitting at a bistro in Lyon, your plate is empty, and you want another glass of wine or perhaps a second helping of that incredible gratin dauphinois. You reach into your mental word bank. You find it. Plus. You say it. But then the waiter looks at you with that specific brand of French confusion—the one where they understood the word but not the intent.
How do you say more in French without sounding like a textbook from 1994? It’s not just about one word. It’s about the "s." It’s about the context. Honestly, it’s about whether you’re asking for a quantity, comparing two things, or just trying to get someone to stop talking so you can say something more.
The Plus Problem: To S or Not to S
The word plus is the heavyweight champion of this topic. Most beginners think it’s a simple translation. It isn’t. In French, the pronunciation of the final "s" in plus changes the meaning entirely, which is a nightmare for English speakers who are used to silent letters staying silent.
If you are saying "more" in a positive sense—like "I want more water"—you usually pronounce the "s" ($plyss$). If you are saying "no more" (negation), the "s" is silent ($ply$).
Imagine you’re at a dinner party. Your host offers you more salad. If you say "Non, plus" and pronounce the "s," you’ve just told them, "No, [I want] more." If you don't pronounce the "s," you've said "No more." It is a subtle flick of the tongue that determines whether you get fed or go hungry.
The Comparative Angle
When you use plus to compare things, the rules shift again. Usually, when plus sits before a word starting with a consonant, that "s" disappears. Il est plus grand que moi (He is taller than me). No "s" sound there. But if it’s before a vowel? You get a "z" sound because of the liaison. Elle est plus intelligente (She is more intelligent).
It feels inconsistent because it is. Language is a living thing, not a math equation.
Beyond the Word Plus
Sometimes plus is the wrong tool for the job. If you’re looking for how do you say more in French in the context of "further" or "additional," you need davantage.
Davantage is fancy. It’s the word you use when you’re writing a formal email or trying to impress a professor at the Sorbonne. It strictly means "more" in terms of quantity or intensity, but you can't use it in a comparison followed by que. You wouldn't say davantage que moi. You’d just use it at the end of a sentence: Je n'en peux plus, j'ai travaillé davantage aujourd'hui. (I can’t take it anymore, I worked more today.)
Then there is encore.
Encore is the "more" of repetition. If the band finishes a set and you want one more song, you scream Encore ! You aren't asking for a greater quantity of music in a mathematical sense; you want the action to happen again.
- Encore un café = Another coffee (one more).
- Plus de café = More coffee (increasing the volume in the cup).
If you mix these up at a café, you'll still get your caffeine fix, but the waiter might give you a look that suggests you need a nap.
The Mathematical "More"
When dealing with math or specific quantities, French gets precise. "Two more days" isn't deux plus jours. That sounds like a literal translation from a robot. You’d say encore deux jours or deux jours de plus.
The de plus construction is incredibly common in spoken French. It tacks onto the end of sentences like a physical weight.
- J'ai besoin de dix euros de plus. (I need ten more euros.)
Notice the "de." In French, when you’re talking about "more of" something, that de is the glue. Plus de pain, plus de temps, plus d'argent. If you forget the de, the sentence collapses.
Getting "More" Out of Conversations
Sometimes "more" isn't about nouns. It's about ideas.
If you're in the middle of a heated debate about whether Bordeaux or Burgundy produces better wine, you might want to say, "Furthermore" or "Moreover." Using plus here would make you sound like a child. Instead, reach for de plus.
Wait. Didn't I just say de plus means "additional"? Yes. But at the start of a sentence, it acts as a transition.
- De plus, c'est moins cher. (Moreover, it’s cheaper.)
If you want to sound even more sophisticated, try en outre. It’s a bit stiff, but it carries weight. It’s the kind of "more" used by news anchors on France 2.
Common Mistakes That Give You Away
The biggest "tell" that someone isn't a native speaker is the "more better" trap. In English, we say "better." We don't say "more good." French is the same.
Never say plus bon. It hurts the ears of a Francophone. The word is meilleur.
If you're talking about an adverb—like "doing something better"—it's mieux.
- C'est mieux comme ça. (It's better like that.)
- C'est plus bien = A linguistic crime.
The "More and More" Construction
How do you describe a growing trend? In English, we say "more and more." In French, it’s de plus en plus.
- Il y a de plus en plus de voitures. (There are more and more cars.)
It rolls off the tongue once you get the rhythm. De-plus-en-plus. It’s almost musical. You can use it with adjectives, too. De plus en plus difficile (More and more difficult).
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On the flip side, "less and less" is de moins en moins.
The Nuance of "No More"
We touched on this with the silent "s," but the "no more" (negation) is where people fail their French exams. In French, "no more" is ne... plus.
- Je ne veux plus de soupe. (I don't want any more soup.)
In casual speech, the ne often disappears. You’ll just hear J'veux plus d'soupe. Because the ne is gone, the only thing telling the listener that you don't want more is that silent "s." If you accidentally pronounce the "s" while omitting the ne, you have just told the host you want more soup.
This is arguably the most important distinction in French dining etiquette. Silence is literally "no."
Actionable Steps for Mastering "More"
If you want to actually use this correctly tomorrow, stop trying to memorize the dictionary. Start with these three high-impact habits:
- Exaggerate the S in "Plus" for Quantities: When you want more of a physical object, make that "s" clear. Plus de frites, s'il vous plaît. (Plys de freet).
- Use "De Plus" for Transitions: If you're telling a story, use de plus to add another point. It’s an easy way to sound more fluent than you actually are.
- Watch the "Better" Trap: Every time you’re about to say plus bon, bite your tongue and say meilleur.
Language isn't about being perfect; it's about being understood. Even if you mess up the "s," a hungry look and a gesture toward the breadbasket will usually do the heavy lifting for you. But getting the word right? That's how you move from a tourist to a guest.
Start by listening to native speakers on podcasts like InnerFrench or Coffee Break French. You’ll notice they use plus constantly, but the way they clip the sound or let it hiss tells the whole story. Pay attention to the "s" liaison when they say plus ou moins (more or less)—that's where the "z" sound lives.
Practice saying de plus en plus while you're driving or walking. Get the rhythm into your muscle memory. French is a physical language, and "more" is a word you'll use every single day.
Next time you're at a boulangerie, try asking for un pain au chocolat de plus. It’s specific, it’s grammatically sound, and most importantly, it gets you more chocolate.
Mastery Check:
- Plus ($plyss$): Use for "more" of something (and pronounce the S).
- Plus ($ply$): Use for "no more" or "not anymore" (silent S).
- Encore: Use for "another" or "one more time."
- Davantage: Use for "more" in formal writing or at the end of a clause.
- Meilleur: Use instead of plus bon (always).