# French/Grammar/Adverbs

* Adjectives
* Adverbs
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* Prepositions
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** Tenses and moods
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French adverbs, like their English counterparts, are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, and verbs or clauses. They do not display any inflection; that is, their form does not change to reflect their precise role, nor any characteristics of what they modify.

## Formation

In French, as in English, most adverbs are derived from adjectives. In most cases, this is done by adding the suffix -ment ("-ly") to the adjective's feminine singular form. For example, the feminine singular form of lent ("slow") is lente, so the corresponding adverb is lentement ("slowly"); similarly, heureux → heureusement ("happy" → "happily").
As in English, however, the adjective stem is sometimes modified to accommodate the suffix:
* If the adjective ends in an i, then -ment is added to the masculine singular (default) form, rather than to the feminine singular form:
** vrai → vraiment ("real" → "really")
** poli → poliment ("polite" → "politely")
* If the adjective ends in -ant or -ent, then the corresponding adverb ends in -amment or -emment, respectively:
** constant → constamment ("constant" → "constantly")
** récent → récemment ("recent" → "recently")
* Some adjectives make other changes:
** précis → précisément ("precise" → "precisely")
** gentil → gentiment ("nice" → "nicely")
Some adverbs are derived from adjectives in completely irregular fashions, not even using the suffix -ment:
* bon → bien ("good" → "well")
* mauvais → mal ("bad" → "badly")
* meilleur → mieux ("better"-adjective → "better"-adverb)
* pire → pire ("worse"-adjective → "worse"-adverb)
And, as in English, many common adverbs are not derived from adjectives at all:
* ainsi ("thus" or "thusly")

## Placement

The placement of French adverbs is almost the same as the placement of English adverbs.
An adverb that modifies an adjective or adverb comes before that adjective or adverb:
* complètement vrai ("completely true")
* pas possible ("not possible")
* tellement discrètement ("so discreetly")
An adverb that modifies an Infinitive (verbal noun) generally comes after the infinitive:
* marcher lentement ("to walk slowly")
But negative adverbs, such as pas ("not"), pas plus ("not any more"), and jamais ("never") come before the infinitive:
* ne pas marcher ("not to walk")
An adverb that modifies a main verb or clause comes either after the verb, or before the clause:
* Lentement il commença à marcher or Il commença lentement à marcher ("Slowly, he began to walk" or "He began slowly to walk").
Note that, unlike in English, this is true even of negative adverbs:
* Jamais je n'ai fait cela or Je n'ai jamais fait cela ("Never have I done that" or "I've never done that")

## List of common adverbs

| Adverb | English | Group | French Example | English Translation |
| actuellement | currently | time | | |
| ainsi | thus, so | manner | ainsi va la vie | so life goes (nothing you can do) |
| après | afterwards | time | On va au cinéma après | We'll go to the cinema afterwards |
| assez | enough | quantity | J'en ai eu assez | I've had enough |
| aussi | also | manner | | |
| aussitôt | straight away | time | | |
| autant | as many / as much | quantity | | |
| autrefois | in the past | time | | |
| autrement | differently, otherwise | manner | | |
| avant-hier | on the day before yesterday | time | | |
| beau, bel, belle | nicely (in expressions) | manner | | |
| beaucoup (de) | much, many | quantity | Merci beaucoup | "Thank you very much." |
| bien | well | manner | | |
| bientôt | soon | time | à très bientôt | see you very soon |
| cependant | however | conjunction | | |
| certainement | certainly | affirmation | | |
| certes | admittedly, of course | affirmation | leur tâche est certes plus difficile | their task is admittedly more difficult |
| ci-dessous | below | place | Rédigez votre message ci-dessous | Write your message below |
| combien (de) | how much, many | interrogative | un succès, ô combien mérité | a success, oh how deserved |
| comment | how | interrogative | | |
| complètement | completely | degree | il se troue complètement | he screws up completely |
| davantage | more, longer | degree | | |
| debout | standing, up | manner | | |
| dedans | inside | place | ils se sont rentrés dedans | they crashed into each other |
| en dehors de | outside, apart from | place | | |
| déjà | already | time | | |
| au delà de | beyond | place | au delà de 35 ans | over 35 years old |
| demain | tomorrow | time | demain soir | tomorrow evening |
| désormais | from now on | time | | |
| devant | ahead, in front | place | | |
| doucement | gently, quietly | manner | | |
| également | also, equally | degree | | |
| encore | again, still | time | Ils jouent encore | They are still playing |
| enfin | at last, finally | time | | |
| ensemble | together | manner | on vie ensemble depuis longtemps | we have been living together for a long time |
| ensuite | then, next | time | Ensuite, cela devenait très compliqué | Then it became very difficult |
| environ | about | degree | il va être absent environ un mois | he will be off for about a month |
| facilement | easily | manner | | |
| fort | strongly | manner | il a démarré très fort | he started very strongly |
| heureusement | fortunately | manner | | |
| hier | yesterday | time | | |
| ici | here, now | place | la course commence ici | the race starts here |
| là | there | place | | |
| là-dedans | in here, in there | place | il n'y a rien de mystère là-dedans | there is no mystery in it |
| là-dessus | on here, on there | place | on reste là-dessus | we stay where we are |
| largement | greatly, well | degree | | |
| légèrement | lightly, slightly | degree | | |
| lentement | slowly | manner | lentement mais sûrement | slowly but surely |
| loin | far | place | la soirée est loin d'être finie | the evening is far from over |
| longtemps | a long time | time | | |
| lors de | during | time | | |
| maintenant | now | time | Et maintenant on fait quoi? | And now, what do we do? |
| mal | badly, wrongly | manner | | |
| malheureusement | unfortunately | manner | | |
| même | even | degree | | |
| moins | less, least | quantity | | |
| néanmoins | nevertheless | manner | | |
| parfois | sometimes | time | La vie est parfois cruelle | Life is sometimes cruel |
| partout | everywhere | place | | |
| peu | little | degree | on peut respirer un peu mieux | we can breathe a little easier |
| peut-être | perhaps | affirmation | la prochaine fois, peut-être | next time, perhaps |
| plus | more | quantity | nous sommes plus que jamais déterminés | we are more determined than ever |
| plutôt | rather | degree | | |
| pourquoi | why | interrogative | | |
| pourtant | yet | | Si près, et pourtant si loin ! | So near, and yet so far! |
| près | close | place | | |
| presque | almost | degree | | |
| puis | then | time | | |
| quelque | approximately | quantity | on supporte le parti quelque soit les sondages | we support the party whatever the opinion polls |
| quelquefois | sometimes | time | je joue quelquefois du piano | I sometimes play the piano |
| récemment | recently | time | | |
| seulement | only | degree | | |
| si | yes, so, however, as | affirmation | ils ne méritent pas d'être en si bonne position | they don't deserve to be in as good a position |
| souvent | often | time | | |
| surtout | above all | manner | | |
| tant | so much | quantity | un événement tant attendu | a much awaited event |
| tantôt | sometimes, this afternoon | time | | |
| tard | late | time | | |
| tellement | so much, so many | degree | la météo est tellement imprévisible | the weather is so unpredictable |
| tôt | soon, early | time | les billets ont été épuisés plus tôt que prévu | the tickets were sold out earlier than expected |
| toujours | still, always | time | | |
| tout | very, quite | degree | tout à fait justifié | totally justified |
| très | very | degree | | |
| trop | too many, too much | quantity | | |
| vite | quickly | manner | | |
| vraiment | really, truly | affirmation | | |
| y | to it, there | place | | |
Adjectives · Adverbs · Articles · Nouns · Prepositions · Pronouns · Sentences · Verbs
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