Agreement errors abound in the French language.
The word
"some"
is the very example of this.
Should we accord it with the name it follows?
"Some time (s)"
,
"a few days"
,
"some (s) spectators"
... Forms of this type are legion.
And are the source of some spelling errors.
The editorial team has looked into the matter so that you don't make the mistake again.
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One rule predominates.
"Some"
is always
invariable when it has the value of adverb, placed in front of a numerical adverb
. Example:
"There were a few hundred people in the room"
, or
"The tree was some fifteen meters high"
. Here,
"some"
is synonymous with
"about"
. It marks an idea of approximation. Be careful, however.
In the case where it is placed in front of
"hundred"
and
"thousand"
, which are precise numbers,
it is tuned
. Examples:
"She walked a few hundred paces before arriving"
, or else:
"We paid her a few thousand euros as an inheritance"
. In the case where
"some"
precedes
"time"
,
it is invariable
. It is here synonymous with
"certain"
or
"any"
, to designate something uncountable. When we say:
"the same thing happened to me some time ago"
, it means:
"a certain number of times ago"
. This rule applies to formulas like:
"something"
,
"somewhere"
,
"somewhat"
or
"in some way"
. Ditto for sentences of the type:
"I will come back here in a while"
, or
"it takes some time to understand that"
.
Remember that placed before a noun,
"some"
becomes an adjective and must therefore
agree in gender and number.
It is written thus:
"A few people have come this evening"
and
"some perfume of mystery hangs in the air"
.
On the other hand, when
"some"
precedes an adjective,
it again becomes an invariable adverb.
It is then synonymous with
"if, too"
.
Example:
"However nicely you offer it, I refuse"
, or
"however rich he may be, she's gone."