# FR: vite (adjectif/adverbe) / rapide / rapidement



## JackFrost

Hi - bonjour

[...]

One other little thing, is there a difference between vite and rapide?

Any help would be much appreciated
merci

Jack (Jacque?)

*Moderator note:* Multiple threads have been merged to create this one.


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## jenny1144

Hi Jack!

Rapide is an adjective (adverb: rapidement), while vite can be an adverb or an adjective.  So you can say:
Cette voiture va vite
Cette voiture va rapidement
C'est une voiture vite
C'est une voiture rapide

[...]

Congratulations, and I hope you have a great time in France!
Jenny


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## BillyTheBanana

[...]


> One other little thing, is there a difference between vite and rapide?


That's an easy one. _Vite _is an adverb (i.e. _quickly_) and _rapide _is an adjective (i.e. _quick_). You can also translate them both to _fast_, since _fast _can be either an adjective (He's a fast runner.) or an adverb (He runs fast.)


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## viera

'C'est une voiture vite' 
This is *not *good French.  The adverb _vite_ cannot modify the noun _voiture_.
You can say:
un train rapide, un rythme rapide, une voiture rapide
Le train va vite, Ils ont vite mangé les gâteaux, Viens vite


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## Micia93

jenny1144 said:


> Cette voiture va vite
> Cette voiture va rapidement
> C'est une voiture vite
> C'est une voiture rapide


 sorry Jenny  
the 3 others are good though


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## tilt

_Vite_ happens to be used as an adjective by some people, especially by sport commentators (_Le Japon est trop vite pour l'Ecosse_), but it really sounds crap and ugly to me.
That said, it might be considered as correct in some regions, like Quebec, I don't know (many Google hits for "est trop vite" are Canadian.)


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## CodeAndBunny

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to learn how to use *"fast"* and *"quickly"* in French...

I've normally said, *"Tu parles trop vitement"*.  Is this correct?

Someone told me a rule explaining when I would use *"rapide"* ou *"rapidement"*; and when I would use *"vite"* ou *"vitement"*.  I forgot the rule, unfortunately and this has resulted in my constantly using rapide/vite incorrectly.  

Can anyone tell me how I should use these two word?  

For example: 

*Elle peut courrir tres rapidement.  

Tu parles trop vitement.  

Elle peut courrir tres rapide(?).

On doit marcher vitement.  
*
Am I using these correctly in these cases?  Is there a rule that would help to understand when to use each?


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## cropje_jnr

_Elle peut cou*r*ir tr*è*s rapidement. _'Rapidement' means 'quickly', and fits.

_Vitement _does not exist (except as very familiar French or child speak).

_Rapide_ is an adjective ('quick').

So: _c'est une voiture rapide / cette voiture roule vite/rapidement._


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## CodeAndBunny

cropje_jnr said:


> _Vitement _does not exist (except as very familiar French or child speak).


I had no idea!  I cannot believe no one told me this sooner, as I've been saying "vitement" for at least a year.  Thank you for this.  



> 'Rapidement' means 'quickly', and fits.
> _Rapide_ is an adjective ('quick').


Okay, so this means rapide is used as we'd use the word "quick" and is an adjective; while rapidement is used as we would use "quickly" and is an adverb...

If so, when do I use the word "vite" and when do I use the word "rapide"?  Is there a general rule of thumb?  I've been told that I cannot use them interchangeably.  Any ideas?


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## yvandas

I believe that _vite _et _rapide _are interchangeable i.e. mean the same thing.  You would use one vice the other depending on the word that best fit your text.  E.g. _il frappa avec la_ _rapidité de l'éclair _or _il frappa à la vitesse de l'éclair_; _il termina ses devoirs très rapidement _or _il termina ses devoirs très vite._


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## CodeAndBunny

I don't know...in France, they kept telling me that I can't use "rapide" or "vite" interchangeably.  For certain things that I would say, they'd tell me to use vite, as opposed to rapide.


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## ?e©am

I guess *vite*=*rapidement* (adverb) => _quickly_

and *rapide*=_fast_ (adjective), as Cropje jnr mentionned above.

Elle court vite = elle est rapide (quand il s'agit de la course a pied)
Inscrivez-vous vite! / rapidement! ≠ inscription rapide!!!


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## itka

I agree with ?e©am.
"vitement" doesn't exist neither in colloquial french or childish language. Never heard it.

Just a little thing more :
*"vite" *is usually an adverb as *"rapidement"* is. 
_Il court vite ! Il court rapidement !_

But "vite" can also be an adjective :
_"Usain Bolt est l'homme le plus vite du monde"._
or this example, found in the TLFI :
_ "Les sages sont des gens vites"_ (Cendrars, _Homme foudr.,_ 1945, p. 329).
But I think it is quite seldom and I never saw before the agreement in plural "vites"... My advice would be : don't use it as an adjective !


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## CodeAndBunny

Hm, I wonder then why vite doesn't have the suffix "-ment".  I thought that in French, you would add "-ment" to an adjective to make it an adverb.  Why does "rapidement" end with this suffix, but not "vite"?...although both are used as adjectives?


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## janpol

"vite", exceptionnellement adjectif, oui : ce mot a un sens très précis dans le jargon de ll'athlétisme. "Ce coureur (de 100 ou de 200 m.) est vite" signifie qu'il est véloce, que son mouvement de jambes est rapide. Mais le coureur le plus "vite" ne va peut-être pas gagner la course car la longueur de la foulée entre en ligne de compte et, comme ce sont les coureurs les plus petits qui sont les plus vites...


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## jann

CodeAndBunny said:


> Hm, I wonder then why vite doesn't have the suffix "-ment".  I thought that in French, you would add "-ment" to an adjective to make it an adverb.  Why does "rapidement" end with this suffix, but not "vite"?...although both are used as adjectives?


Not all adverbs are regular.  

Many English adverbs are formed by adding -ly onto the end of an adjective... but that doesn't mean that we don't have an awful lot of them that don't follow this pattern!

He is quick (adj) --> He runs quick*ly* (adv.)
but
He is fast (adj) --> He runs fast (adv.)

The same is true in French:  many adverbs are formed by adding -ment onto the end of an adjective, but there are still lots of French adverbs that don't follow this pattern!


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## janpol

on ne peut pas faire un adverbe en "ment" avec "vite" qui est déjà un adverbe, on l'a pourtant fait avec "quasi" qui a donné "quasiment" que, certains dictionnaires ont longtemps considéré comme un barbarisme et qui semble avoir tout de même "creusé son trou".


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## jann

But Japol, you and Itka both just pointed out that "vite" can also be an adjective.  It's therefore perfectly natural for CodeAndBunny to wonder why its adverbial form isn't vite+ment!  And the answer is: because _vite_, as an adverb, is not "regular"... regular being defined as adverbs that are formed on the model adjective+ment.


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## janpol

"vite" est un adjectif de façon très exceptionnelle et pour un nombre d'utilisateurs restreint. Ce mot demeure avant tout un adverbe...
Le cas de "quasi" adverbe transformé en adverbe en "ment" me semble être une anomalie. C'est comme si l'on inventait l'adverbe "presquement"


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## 19sunflower

Hi

What is the difference between vite and rapide?

Which is correct in the following sentence?

Les gens abandonnent leurs maisons le plus vite possible à cause des innondations 

or

Les gens abandonnent leurs maisons le plus rapide possible à cause des innondations 

People abandon their houses as quickly as possible because of the floods.

Thanks for your help


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## Mauricet

The main difference is grammatical: _vite_ is an adverb while _rapide_ is an adjective. _Quickly_ translate as _vite_ or _rapidement_, which are perfect synonyms.


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## Oddmania

_Vite_ is an adverb and _rapide_ is an adjective 

_ ...Le plus vite possible 
__...Le plus rapide*ment* possible _
_...Le plus rapide possible_ 

_...Ils quittent leur maison de la façon la plus rapide possible_ tick would be an alternative as here,_ rapide _is an adjective that qualifies the word _façon_ _(the fastest way)_ but it sounds a bit clumsy as it's much simpler to use _le plus_ _vite possible_.


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## UniversalLove

Hi,
I need help understanding something.

My French grammar book tells me "rapide" is an adjective and "vite" is an adverb. 
But then it gives me the following sentence:
*
"Communiquer par mail, c'est plus rapide que par la poste: ça va beaucoup plus vite!"

*Could somebody please explain to me why "*rapide*" is being used at all?


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## atcheque

Bonjour,

*être + adjectif :*_ c'est rapide, c'est plus rapide : *it is quick, quicker.*_
_Ça va vite, plus vite : *It goes quickly, more quickly.*_


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## yuechu

Hello/Bonjour,

I have a question regarding the word "vite". Is it acceptable in modern French (particularly European French) for the word "vite" to be used as an adjective? Somebody told me that it is a mistake (and that "rapide" is always the adjective form; "vite" is the adverb), but I wanted to make sure that this is the case (as I had never looked it up), or if most people do indeed view it as a mistake (whether or not it is one or not). I looked up "vite" in the Wiktionnaire and saw that it has "vite" as an adjective with "Vielli" beside it. Does this mean that it is no longer used nowadays? (or rarely)

For example: Quelqu'un est vite vs quelqu'un est rapide --> someone is fast. (they run fast, etc)

Also, in Québécois French, is it acceptable?

Thanks/Merci d'avance !


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## lilicolibri

Hi,
you are right, we don't use vite as an adjective in France, although they do in Quebec (in particular, when they say "il est pas vite"-often "il est pas vite vite", which means he is not very smart... )
We say "il est rapide" or "il court vite".


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## yuechu

Thanks for the confirmation, Lilicolibri! In addition to not being common, would most French people (in Europe I mean) view "il est vite" as a mistake/incorrect?


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## Mauricet

Depends on context. In commenting sports, it would be considered correct, I think. […]


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## Viobi

Except in a Quebec context, I wouldn't even _understand _"il est vite", let alone deem it correct! I'd definitely hear "il évite" and wait for the object complement, wondering what he avoids....


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## Snudsf

Nous devons traduire un texte en français et je ne suis pas sûre si je dois utiliser le mot "rapide" ou "vite" dans l'expression suivante:

Marcher n'était pas assez vite, donc on courait. Courir n'était pas assez vite, donc on galopait.

(L'original est: Walking wasn't fast enough, so we ran. Running wasn't fast enough, so we galloped.)

Merci beaucoup pour votre aide!


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## Lacuzon

Bonjour et bienvenue Snudsf,

Bien que vite soit tout à fait correct en tant qu'adjectif, on emploie plutôt rapide. Vite est de nos jours utilisé quasiment seulement comme adverbe.


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## janpol

Il court vite , il est rapide
vite > adverbe
rapide > adjectif


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