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French - Adverbs

An adverb (un adverbe) is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It provides more information about how, when, where, or to what extent an action is performed. Unlike adjectives, French adverbs are invariable, meaning they do not change their spelling to agree with gender or number.

How to Form French Adverbs

Many adverbs, especially those describing manner (how something is done), are formed from adjectives.

The General Rule:

  1. Start with the feminine singular form of the adjective.
  2. Add the ending -ment.

Examples:

  • Adjective: rapide (quick)
    • Feminine form: rapide
    • Adverb: rapidement (quickly)
  • Adjective: sérieux (serious)
    • Feminine form: sérieuse
    • Adverb: sérieusement (seriously)
  • Adjective: lent (slow)
    • Feminine form: lente
    • Adverb: lentement (slowly)

Irregular Formations and Exceptions:

  • Adjectives ending in a vowel: If the masculine form of the adjective already ends in a vowel (like -i, -u, or -é), you simply add -ment to that masculine form.

    • vrai (true) → vraiment (truly, really)
    • poli (polite) → poliment (politely)
    • absolu (absolute) → absolument (absolutely)

  • Adjectives ending in -ant or -ent: These have a special pattern.

    • For adjectives ending in -ant, replace the ending with -amment.
      • constant → *constamment* (constantly)
      • élégant → *élégamment* (elegantly)
    • For adjectives ending in -ent, replace the ending with -emment.
      • récent → *récemment* (recently)
      • prudent → *prudemment* (prudently)
    • Pronunciation Note: Both -amment and -emment are pronounced the same way, like "ah-mahn".

  • Completely Irregular Adverbs: Some of the most common adverbs are irregular and must be memorized.

    • bon (good) → bien (well)
    • mauvais (bad) → mal (badly)
    • gentil (kind) → gentiment (kindly)
    • bref (brief) → brièvement (briefly)

The Position of Adverbs

The placement of an adverb in a French sentence depends on the tense being used.

  • With Simple Tenses (like the present, imperfect, or future): The adverb is usually placed directly after the verb it modifies.

    • Il parle lentement. (He speaks slowly.)
    • Nous mangeons souvent ici. (We often eat here.)
    • Elle comprend facilement. (She understands easily.)

  • With the Passé Composé (Compound Past Tense): Short, common adverbs are typically placed between the auxiliary verb (avoir or être) and the past participle.

    • Common adverbs that follow this rule: bien, mal, déjà, souvent, toujours, trop, vite.
    • J'ai bien mangé. (I ate well.)
    • Nous avons déjà fini. (We have already finished.)
    • Elle a trop parlé. (She talked too much.)
    • Longer adverbs (especially those ending in -ment) often go after the past participle for emphasis, but placing them in the middle is also common. Both are often acceptable.
      • Il a parlé lentement. OR Il a lentement parlé.

  • To Modify an Adjective or Another Adverb: The adverb comes directly before the word it modifies.

    • Ce gâteau est très bon. (This cake is very good.)
    • Il conduit vraiment vite. (He drives really fast.)

Types of Adverbs

Adverbs are not just for describing how an action is done. They serve many purposes.

  • Adverbs of Manner (how): These are often the "-ment" adverbs. (bien, mal, vite, rapidement, doucement...)
  • Adverbs of Time (when): aujourd'hui (today), demain (tomorrow), hier (yesterday), souvent (often), toujours (always), parfois (sometimes).
  • Adverbs of Place (where): ici (here), là (there), partout (everywhere), dehors (outside).
  • Adverbs of Quantity (how much): beaucoup (a lot), peu (little), assez (enough), trop (too much), très (very).
  • Adverbs of Affirmation/Negation: oui (yes), non (no), peut-être (maybe), certainement (certainly), ne...pas (not).