FRENCH ADVERBS
Les adverbes
When learning French, you will come across adverbs sooner or later. This is a filler category of French grammar that is combined with vocabulary as well as grammar.
What are french adverbs?
Que sont les adverbes ?
Adverbs (les adverbes) change the meaning of other words : verbs, nouns, adjectives, or even other adverbs… It’s a category of words that is very different and connects the French language.
Another thing is that all adverbs are invariable in gender and in plurality.
Adverbs are generally classified according to their meaning : adverbs of cunjunction, quantity, place, time, affirmation, negation, interrogation, logical relationship, mood.
Also, we can produce adverbs from adjectives, called derivation.
French adverbs of quantity
Les adverbes de quantité
| French adverbs | Translation |
| Assez | enough |
| Aussi | too, as well |
| Autant | as much |
| Beaucoup | a lot |
| Davantage | more |
| Encore | again |
| Environ | about |
| Moins | less |
| Peu | a little, a bit |
| Plus | more |
| Presque | almost |
| Seulement | only |
| Tant, Tellement | so much, so many |
| Tout | Everything, all |
| Très | very |
| Trop | too much, too many |
| … |
French adverbs of place
Les adverbes de lieu
Adverbs of place, obviously, give geographical indications and answer the question « where ? »
| French adverbs | Translation |
| à côté (de) | next (to) |
| à droite (de) | at the right (of) |
| à gauche (de) | at the left (of) |
| ailleurs (que) | elsewhere, somewhere else (from) |
| à l’intérieur (de) | inside (of) |
| dedans | inside |
| dehors | outside |
| derrière | behind |
| devant | in front of |
| dessous | underneath |
| dessus | above |
| sur | on |
| sous | under |
| en bas (de) | down |
| en face (de) | opposite |
| en haut (de) | up |
| Ici | here |
| là | there |
| là-bas | over-there |
| loin (de) | far |
| nulle part | nowhere |
| partout | everywhere |
| près (de) | close to |
| quelque part | somewhere |
| tout droit | straight |
| … |
French adverbs of time
Les adverbes de temps
The adverbs of basically answer the question « when ? » and give an indication of the position in time, or of chronology.
| French adverbs | Translation |
| aujourd’hui | today |
| après | after |
| aussitôt | as soon as, immediately |
| autrefois, jadis | in the past |
| avant | before |
| bientôt | soon |
| d’abord | first |
| déjà | already |
| demain | tomorrow |
| encore | again |
| enfin | at last |
| en même temps | at the same time |
| ensuite, puis | then |
| hier | yesterday |
| jamais | never |
| maintenant | now |
| quelquefois, parfois | sometimes |
| rarement | rarely |
| soudain | swift, suddenly |
| souvent | often |
| tard | late |
| toujours | always |
| tôt | early |
| tout de suite | right now |
| tout à coup | suddenly |
| depuis | since |
| jusqu’à | until |
| … |
French adverbs of logical relationship
Les adverbes de relation logique
The adverbs of logical relationship have the role of expressing any idea of cause, consequence, opposition… They don’t answer to a question in particular, or maybe « why ? » or « how ? »
| French adverbs | Translation |
| aussi | also |
| cependant | however |
| donc | So |
| en revanche | nevertheless, yet |
| encore | again |
| même | same |
| par ailleurs | in addition |
| par conséquent | consequently |
| pourtant | yet, however |
| quand même | anyway |
| seulement | except that |
| tout de même | All the same |
| toutefois | nevertheless |
| … |
French adverbs of cunjunction
Les adverbes de liaison
The adverbs of conjunction play the role of linking sentences together, and as such, they can modify the meaning of a whole sentence.
| French adverbs | Translation |
| si | if |
| alors | then |
| certes | admittedly, of course |
| donc | so |
| en effet | because, actually |
| ensuite, puis | then |
| enfin | lastly |
| néanmoins | nonetheless |
| par contre | on the other hand |
| pourtant | yet, however |
| … |
French adverbs of affirmation
Les adverbes d’affirmation
Adverbs of affirmation are used to affirm something or to back it up. They also can serve to minimize a statement, or express a doubt about its truth or realization. As such, they would answer the question « really ? »
| French adverb | Translation |
| assurément | doubtlessly |
| certainement | certainly |
| certes | of course |
| oui | yes |
| précisément | precisely |
| volontiers | with pleasure |
| vraiment | really |
| peut-être | maybe |
| probablement | probably |
| sans doute | most likely |
| apparemment | apparently |
| vraisemblablement | in all likelihood |
| Tellement | So much |
| Tout, très | Very |
| Trop | too much |
| Un peu | a little |
| … |
French adverbs of negation
Les adverbes de négation
As it should be, adverbs of negation are used to make negative sentences. In this sense, they are almost always part of an adverbial locution.
| French adverb | Translation |
| ne … pas | not |
| ne … plus | not … anymore |
| ne … rien | not … anything |
| non | no |
| pas du tout | not at all |
| … |
French adverbs of interrogation
Les adverbes d’interrogation
Quite simply, the adverbs of interrogation are used to ask question.
| French adverbs | Translation |
| combien | how much, how many |
| comment | how |
| pourquoi | why |
| quand | when |
| où | where |
| … |
French adverbs of modality
Les adverbes de modalité
The adverbs of modality carry a sense of subjectivity, and as such they inform about the mood or attitude of the person who is speaking about what he is saying without stating any actual fact.
| French adverbs | Translation |
| hélas | Alas |
| heureusement | Fortunately |
| malheureusement | unfortunately |
| par bonheur | happily |
| certainement | probably |
| par manque de chance | by lack of luck |
| … |
Adverbs derived from adjectives
Les adverbes dérivés des adjectifs
Most adjectives can be transformed into adverbs, with the intention to modify the meaning of another word. To do so, we add the suffix –ment to the end of the feminine form of the adjective.
Indeed, an example will be very helpful here :
- long(long, adjective, m.)
→ longue (long, adjective, f.)
→ longuement (at length, adverb) - Il m’a parlé longuementde sa jeunesse.
= He told me of his childhood at length.
Sometimes, a little modification is necessary. Firstly, and to the exception of lent (slow) and présent (present), the adjective already ending in -ent or -ant have their adverbial form in –emment or –amment (and in both cases it is pronounced the same, e.g. –amment) :
- méchant(mean) → méchamment (meanly)
- récent(recent)→ récemment (recently)
- but : présentement, lentement
Also, some adjectives that already end in -e at the masculine form take an accent when derived :
- intense(intense) → intensément (intensely)
Finally, a few adjectives derive into an exceptionally formed adverb.
- bon(good) → bien (good)
- fou(crazy) → follement (crazily)
- mou(soft) → mollement (softly)
- bref(brief) → brièvement (briefly)
- mauvais(bad) → mal (badly)
- impuni(unpunished) → impunément (with impunity)
See all adverb exercises: French adverbs
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