Intensity: archi-, hyper-, -issime

What you are doing here: boosting an adjective (very → extremely)

French often intensifies an adjective with:

• Prefixes: archi-, hyper-, super-, ultra-
• A suffix: -issime

They are common in speech and informal professional contexts (emails, meetings). Use them sparingly in very formal writing.

Spelling: do you write it together, with a space, or with a hyphen?

In contemporary French, these intensifiers are most often written attached to the adjective:

• archi + adj → archiplein, archifatigué, archibas
• hyper + adj → hyperstressé, hyperutile
• ultra + adj → ultraperformant(e)
• super + adj → superrapide, superabîmé(e)

So in your exercises, prefer:

• ✅ superrapide / super rapide / super-rapide
• ✅ ultraperformante / ultra performante / ultra-performante

Gender/number still follow the adjective. The prefix does not change:

• un service hyper efficace / une équipe hyper efficace
• des clients super contents / des clientes super contentes

Meaning differences: archi- vs hyper- vs super- vs ultra-

Note: you may also hear them as separate words in speech (super + adjective), but your course focuses on the attached form.

-issime: how it works (and what changes)

-issime is added to an adjective to mean “extremely”.

• riche → richissime
• rare → rarissime
• cher → chérissime (often ironic or affectionate)

Agreement (gender/number) is usually regular:

• un quartier richissime / une famille richissime
• des investisseurs richissimes

Practical tip: if you are unsure, use a prefix instead (hyper/super/ultra + adjective). It is often safer.

Don’t intensify “absolute” adjectives

Some adjectives already express an absolute idea. In standard French, you avoid intensifying them:

• unique → ✅ unique / uniqueissime
• excellent → ✅ excellent / excellentissime
• magnifique → ✅ magnifique / magnifiqueissime

In real life you might hear exaggerations, but for B2 accuracy, avoid them.

Key trap: “ne… que” / “le seul, l’unique” + relative clause → often subjunctive

When you say someone/something is the only one, French often treats it like a selection/judgment, so the verb in the relative clause can go to the subjunctive.

Self-check: ask yourself: “Am I saying the only one?” If yes, the relative verb is a strong candidate for the subjunctive.

Mini checklist (before you validate your answer)

1. Am I intensifying an adjective (not a verb)?
2. Did I attach the prefix to the adjective (no space, no hyphen) as in the course?
3. Did the adjective still agree (feminine/masculine, plural)?
4. Did I avoid intensifying unique/excellent/magnifique?
5. If I used ne… que / le seul / l’unique: do I need subjunctive in the relative clause?