Pronunciation of the French Adverb Plus

The French adverb plus means more. It has two main pronunciations. It can be pronounced [ply] or [plys]. The affirmative adverb is pronounced with a word-final [s] and the negative adverb is not.

In the following sentences plus is pronounced [plys].

Je veux plus de beurre. (I want more butter)
Je vais acheter plus de livres. (I'm going to buy more books)

In these sentences plus is pronounced [ply].

Je ne veux plus de beurre. (I don't want any more butter).
Je n'aime pas les oranges non plus. (I don't like oranges, either)

When plus is a comparative or superlative adverb, it is pronounced [ply] in the middle of the sentence. If a vowel follows, it is pronounced [plyz]. When plus is at the end of the sentence, it is pronounced [plys].

Je cours plus vite que toi. (I run faster than you)
Je cours le plus vite. (I run the fastest)
Je cours le plus. (I run the most)
Le livre est plus intéressant que le film. (The book is more interesting than the movie)

The pronunciation of plus varies. The affirmative adverb is pronounced with a word-final consonant, but the negative adverb is not. The comparative and superlative adverbs are usually pronounced with the consonant. When they occur sentence-finally, the consonant is not pronounced.