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Quelle est la différence entre "rapide(ment)" et "vite"? "Vite" est un adverbe, donc peut-être il faut demander entre "rapidement" et "vite".

Stéphane Gimenez
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Mme Bleu
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1 Answers1

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They are pretty close synonyms — there aren't many nuances that differentiate them. But there are four notes to add:

1) "Vite" can also be an adjective, particularly (I am given to understand) in informal contexts. Edit: As discussed in the comments, your mileage among native speakers may vary when relying on this usage. However, I still see it taught in learning materials now and then.

The next three notes are derived from entries in le Dictionnaire de l'Académie française based on DVLF searches for "vite" and "rapide".

2) Edit: Does not seem to be current. It suggests that "vite" is better suited to animals and other living things, as an adjective, anyway. That would make "rapide" the preferable choice for inanimate objects. I can't say I've noticed a strong trend towards that distinction, and (edit) judging by Frank's commentary below and the fact that the edition of this dictionary that was cited is 80 years old, it appears that this distinction has died out.

3) "Rapide" seems like the more suitable figurative choice for something is not literally moving fast, such as "un style rapide", "un esprit rapide".

4) "Rapide" may also carry connotations of brusqueness or impetuousness, similar to "hasty".

Interested to see what the others think of these connotations.

Luke Sawczak
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  • Using one or the other is not always appropriate: ils vont vite, c'est rapide = ça va vite, but il est vite is not correct. C'est une machine rapide: OK, c'est une machine vite: nope. C'est un cheetah vite: absolutely not, even if it is an animal. It seems rapide is easier to use than vite :-) I have ah hard time coming up with examples of vite as an adjective. I noticed that many foreigners have a hard time using the right one - this question probably deserves more digging into usage. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 03:15
  • Hmm, interesting. Do you think the animals would be fixed collocations or could some rule describe which ones? the DAF offers "cheval vite" readily enough; horses, probably having a much longer history in the language than "cheetah", might well have been attached to an older usage pattern of "vite", I guess. – Luke Sawczak Mar 04 '17 at 03:20
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    "Cheval vite"? I would definitely categorize that as "incorrect". I'll look into it. Try "vite_ADJ,rapide_ADJ" in ngrams. "vite_ADJ" is close to 0. I think that "vite" as an adjective is more or less dead today, or very rare - we use it only as an adverb, and use "rapide" only as an adjective. The examples given in CNRTL or DAF are surprising to me and feel "incorrect" (they are not incorrect, but I would classify them as "wrong" today) or old. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 04:24
  • Try also "cheval vite,cheval rapide" in ngrams: "cheval vite" is dead today. It had its moment in the 19th century, and a couple of revivals, but we don't say that today anymore. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 04:28
  • Good to know. Updated answer. – Luke Sawczak Mar 04 '17 at 04:53
  • You should also mention the ngrams statistics - for "cheval vite" it's pretty clear-cut. CNRTL also gives "vite" as a possible adjective. But I asked other French natives here, and they all had the same reaction as me. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 05:16
  • @Frank Vite is still (although very rarely) and has always been an adjective too in French. This has been already answered here. – jlliagre Mar 04 '17 at 09:54
  • @jlliagre - sure, it is an adjective, these days, it is dying in usage (your very rarely, and your exceptionnellement in the other entry). – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 16:54
  • @Frank I would say this usage is dying but on the opposite is modestly reviving by coincidence. – jlliagre Mar 04 '17 at 17:24
  • And Stéphane Gimenez's reaction in the other post. He is not the only one, I get his reaction a lot from other natives. So, it is in the dictionaries as an adjective, people can, and do very rarely and exceptionnelement use it as an adjective, but that usage is dying very fast. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 17:25
  • I personally won't participate in the revival ;-) It sounds really strange to me. – Frank Mar 04 '17 at 17:25