Uses and Forms of Adverbs
10.7.1. The Main Idea
Adverbs add detail to a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
Il parle lentement. | He speaks slowly. |
Elle chante bien. | She sings well. |
C’est très important. | It is very important. |
Il travaille assez souvent. | He works quite often. |
Adverbs can describe how, when, where, how often, or how much something happens.
10.7.2. Common Adverbs
bien | well |
mal | badly / poorly |
vite | quickly / fast |
lentement | slowly |
souvent | often |
toujours | always |
parfois | sometimes |
rarement | rarely |
maintenant | now |
hier | yesterday |
ici | here |
là | there |
beaucoup | a lot |
très | very |
assez | quite / enough |
trop | too much / too |
10.7.3. Adverbs of Manner
Adverbs of manner describe how someone does something.
Il parle lentement. | He speaks slowly. |
Elle répond rapidement. | She answers quickly. |
Nous travaillons sérieusement. | We work seriously. |
Vous expliquez clairement. | You explain clearly. |
Ils mangent vite. | They eat quickly. |
10.7.4. Forming Adverbs with -ment
Many French adverbs are formed from the feminine form of an adjective + -ment.
lent | lente | lentement |
slow, masculine | slow, feminine | slowly |
sérieux | sérieuse | sérieusement |
serious, masculine | serious, feminine | seriously |
clair | claire | clairement |
clear, masculine | clear, feminine | clearly |
10.7.5. More -ment Examples
rapide | rapidement | quickly
facile | facilement | easily
difficile | difficilement | with difficulty
normal | normalement | normally
naturel | naturellement | naturally
heureux | heureusement | fortunately / happily
vrai | vraiment | really / truly
Some adjectives already end in -e, so you usually add -ment directly.
rapide | rapidement |
facile | facilement |
10.7.6. Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency say how often something happens.
toujours | always |
souvent | often |
parfois | sometimes |
rarement | rarely |
jamais | never |
Examples:
Je travaille souvent. | I often work. |
Je fais parfois du sport. | I sometimes exercise. |
Je mange rarement le matin. | I rarely eat in the morning. |
Je ne bois jamais de café. | I never drink coffee. |
10.7.7. Adverbs of Time and Place
Adverbs of time say when something happens.
aujourd’hui | today |
maintenant | now |
demain | tomorrow |
hier | yesterday |
bientôt | soon |
déjà | already |
Adverbs of place say where something happens.
ici | here |
là | there |
partout | everywhere |
ailleurs | elsewhere |
10.7.8. Adverbs of Quantity and Intensity
These adverbs show degree or amount.
très | very |
assez | quite / enough |
trop | too / too much |
beaucoup | a lot |
un peu | a little |
plus | more |
moins | less |
Examples:
C’est très intéressant. | It is very interesting. |
La maison est assez grande. | The house is quite big. |
Ce café est trop cher. | This café is too expensive. |
J’aime beaucoup cette chanson. | I like this song a lot. |
Je parle un peu français. | I speak a little French. |
10.7.9. Position of Adverbs
With a simple verb, many adverbs go after the verb.
Je parle lentement. | I speak slowly. |
Elle travaille bien. | She works well. |
Nous mangeons souvent au restaurant. | We often eat at the restaurant. |
With an adjective, adverbs go before the adjective.
C’est très bon. | It is very good. |
C’est assez difficile. | It is quite difficult. |
Il est vraiment gentil. | He is really kind. |
10.7.10. Adverbs in the Passé Composé
Many common adverbs go between the auxiliary and the past participle.
J’ai bien dormi. | I slept well. |
J’ai beaucoup étudié. | I studied a lot. |
J’ai déjà mangé. | I already ate. |
Je n’ai jamais visité Paris. | I have never visited Paris. |
Longer adverbs can also go after the past participle.
Il a parlé lentement. | He spoke slowly. |
Elle a répondu rapidement. | She answered quickly. |
10.7.11. Common Contrast
bon | good, adjective |
bien | well, adverb |
mauvais | bad, adjective |
mal | badly / poorly, adverb |
Examples:
C’est un bon café. | It is good coffee. |
Il chante bien. | He sings well. |
C’est un mauvais film. | It is a bad movie. |
Elle dort mal. | She sleeps badly. |
10.7.12. Core Patterns
verb + adverb | Il parle lentement. |
adverb + adjective | C’est très important. |
feminine adjective + -ment | lente → lentement |
auxiliary + adverb + past participle | J’ai bien dormi. |
ne + verb + jamais | Je ne bois jamais de café. |
10.7.13. Practice
He speaks slowly. |
She answers quickly. |
I often work. |
I never drink coffee. |
It is very important. |
This café is too expensive. |
I speak a little French. |
I slept well. |
I already ate. |
10.7.14. Answers
He speaks slowly. | Il parle lentement. |
She answers quickly. | Elle répond rapidement. |
I often work. | Je travaille souvent. |
I never drink coffee. | Je ne bois jamais de café. |
It is very important. | C’est très important. |
This café is too expensive. | Ce café est trop cher. |
I speak a little French. | Je parle un peu français. |
I slept well. | J’ai bien dormi. |
I already ate. | J’ai déjà mangé. |
10.7.15. Short Dialogue
A : Tu parles français souvent ? | A: Do you speak French often? |
B : Oui, je parle souvent français, mais je parle lentement. | B: Yes, I often speak French, but I speak slowly. |
A : Tu comprends bien ? | A: Do you understand well? |
B : Oui, je comprends assez bien. | B: Yes, I understand quite well. |
10.7.16. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize common adverbs, form many adverbs with -ment, use adverbs to describe how, when, where, how often, or how much something happens, and place common adverbs correctly with simple verbs, adjectives, and the passé composé.
10.7.17. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
I speak French slowly.
I understand quite well.
Possible answer:
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