Adverbs are words that modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs usually describe the “why”, “when”, or “where” of a sentence, or under what conditions something happened.
Placement of Adverbs
1. Adverbs occur in one of three places in a French sentence. The preferred position for adverb placement in French is after the first verb. Although adverbs occur in three positions, not every adverb may occur in all three positions.
Initially:
Généralement, il arrive à l’heure. Generally, he arrives on time.
Post verbally:
Il arrive généralement à l’heure. He arrives generally on time.
Finally:
Il arrive à l’heure, généralement. He arrives on time, generally.
2. In compound tenses, adverbs ending in “-ment” are often placed between the auxiliary and the verb:
J’ai complètement oublié de le faire. I completely forgot to do it.
3. Some adverbs will normally be at the end of the sentence.
Elle a mangé lentement. She ate slowly.
Forming Adverbs
Adverbs that can be formed by adding “-ment”
Most adjectives have “-ment” added to the feminine form of the adjective. The “-ment” usually parallels “-ly” in English.
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB | |
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| complet facile final fort heureux parfait rapide | complète facile finale forte heureuse parfaite rapide | complètement facilement finalement fortement heureusement parfaitement rapidement |
Completely Irregular Adverbs
Some adverbs are completely different from their corresponding adjective.
| ADJECTIVE | ADVERB | |
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| bon mauvais meilleur petit moindre | bonne mauvais meilleure petite moindre | bien mal mieux peu moins |