What Are French Adverbs? Your Easy Guide with Rules and Examples

Key takeaways:

• French adverbs add clarity, nuance, and personality to your sentences. Without them, communication would be very dull and robotic.
• They’re used to modify or describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
• Most adverbs are formed by adding “-ment” to the feminine form of the adjective, but there are important exceptions.
• Correct placement is key. In most cases, they follow the verb they modify, but some go at the start or end of a sentence.

Adverbs may be small and often overlooked, but they make a big impact. Without them, sentences lose the personality, precision, and nuance that bring language to life. Imagine a conversation or chapter in a book without adverbs: you might still understand it, but it would sound flat and lifeless.

What are French adverbs

A French adverb is a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It tells us how, when, where, or to what extent something happens. Just like in English, adverbs add color, personality, and detail to a sentence. Take a look at these examples:

• Il parle lentement. → He speaks slowly.
• Elle est très intelligente. → She is very intelligent.
• Nous irons là-bas demain. → We will go there tomorrow

Unlike adjectives, adverbs don’t have to agree in gender or number. Adverbs stay the same no matter who, what, or how many they’re describing.

Types of French adverbs

To make things easier, French adverbs can be grouped into categories according to the role they play in describing a verb, adjective, or adverb. Here are the main categories, their meanings, and some examples:

1. Adverbs of manner

These adverbs describe how something is done. They answer the question “in what way?”

Adverbs: lentement (slowly), rapidement (quickly), soigneusement (carefully), bien (well), mal (badly).

Examples: 

• Il conduit lentement. → He drives slowly. 
• Il joue bien au football. → He plays football well.

2. Adverbs of time

These adverbs describe when something happens or the amount of time it will take to accomplish a certain action.

Adverbs: aujourd’hui (today), hier (yesterday), bientôt (soon), souvent (often), toujours (always), maintenant (now).

Examples: 

• Nous partirons bientôt. → We will leave soon. 
• Ils sont partis en vacances hier. → They left on holiday yesterday.

3. Adverbs of place

These French adverbs tell you where something happens or where something is.

Adverbs: ici (here), là (there), partout (everywhere), ailleurs (elsewhere), dedans (inside).

Examples: 

• Reste ici. → Stay here.
• Ils habitent là-bas. → They live over there.

4. Adverbs of degree

To show the intensity, quality, or extent of an action, you use adverbs of degree.

Adverbs: très (very), assez (quite), trop (too), complètement (completely), presque (almost).

Examples: 

• Elle est très heureuse. → She is very happy.
• Elle est assez contente de son travail. → She is quite happy with her work.

5. Adverbs of frequency

These are used when you wish to express how regularly something occurs.

Adverbs: parfois (sometimes), rarement (rarely), quotidiennement (daily).

Examples: 

• Il voyage rarement. → He rarely travels.
• Nous allons parfois au marché. → We sometimes go to the market.

6. Adverbs of affirmation and negation

These French adverbs are used to confirm or deny a statement.

Adverbs: oui (yes), certes (certainly), absolument (absolutely), non (no), jamais (never).

Examples: 

• Oui, je comprends. → Yes, I understand.
• Absolument, c’est une excellente idée. → Absolutely, that’s an excellent idea. 

7. Adverbs of quantity 

To indicate the amount or to what degree a verb, adjective, or other adverb is, we can use this category

Adverbs: beaucoup (a lot), peu (a little), autant (as much), plus (more).

Examples: 

• Elle mange beaucoup. → She eats a lot. 
• Il reste peu de temps avant le départ. → There is little time before departure. 

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8. Evaluative adverbs

These are used when you want to express an opinion or judgement about what is being said.

Adverbs: heureusement (fortunately), malheureusement (unfortunately), franchement (frankly).

Examples: 

• Heureusement, il n’était pas blessé. → Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt. 
• Malheureusement, nous avons raté le train. → Unfortunately, we missed the train. 

9. Comparative and superlative adverbs 

If you want to compare actions or show that something is done to a greater or lesser extent, you can use these adverbs.

Adverbs: mieux (better), pire (worse), plus (more), moins (less), le plus (the most).

Examples: 

• Elle danse mieux que moi. → She dances better than I do.
• C’est lui qui court le plus vite. → It’s him who runs the fastest. 

A list of the most common French adverbs

How to form adverbs in French

French adverbs are generally formed from the adjective. In French, adjectives have a feminine and masculine form. For example, petit (masculine) and petite (feminine).

Most French adverbs are formed by taking the feminine form of the adjective as a base and adding -ment to create an adverb. This is similar to how many English adverbs end in -ly. However, when it comes to grammar, there are always exceptions to the rule. 

Take a look below for the different ways to form adverbs in French.

Rule 1: Masculine adjectives ending in a consonant or silent -e

Step 1: Convert the masculine adjective into the feminine form.

Step 2: Add -ment to the end of the feminine form.

Examples: 

• lent → lente → lentement
• heureux → heureuse → heureusement 
• sérieux → sérieuse → sérieusement 
• rapide → rapide → rapidement 
• facile → facile → facilement 

Rule 2: Masculine adjectives ending in a vowel (except a silent -e)

Step: Add -ment directly to the masculine form of the adjective.

Examples: 

• vrai → vraiment 
• absolu → absolument

Rule 3: Masculine adjectives ending in -ant or -ent

Step 1: Replace adjectives ending in -ant with -amment.

Step 2: Replace adjectives ending in -ent with -emment.

Examples:

• constant → constamment
• récent → récemment 
• évident → évidemment 

There are a few notable exceptions to this rule, including lent, which follows rule number 1 instead.

Rule 4: Irregular adverbs 

Some common adverbs don’t fit any rules and just need to be memorized. 

Examples:

• bon → bien
• mauvais → mal
• meilleur → mieux

Rule 5: When there is no change

Some adjectives and adverbs are the same, so they don’t need changing at all.

Examples: 

• vite → vite 
• dur → dur

Using French adverbs in sentences

In French, the position of an adverb depends largely on what it is describing or modifying. Now that we know how to form an adverb, let's take a look at how to place French adverbs in a sentence.

1. When the adverb is modifying a verb

Most adverbs that modify verbs are placed immediately after the conjugated verb.

Examples: 

• Il parle lentement. (He speaks slowly.)
• Elle chante magnifiquement. (She sings magnificently.)
• Tu écris rapidement. (You write quickly.)

However, it wouldn’t be French without some exceptions! If the verb is a compound tense (like the passé composé), the adverb usually goes between the auxiliary verb and the past participle. 

Examples:

• Elle a rapidement fini ses devoirs. (She quickly finished her homework.)
• Ils ont souvent voyagé ensemble. (They have often travelled together.)

2. When the adverb is modifying an adjective or another adverb

When a French adverb modifies or describes an adjective or another adverb, it usually comes before the word it modifies. Typically, adverbs of degree fall into this category.

Examples:

• C’est très intéressant. (It’s very interesting.)
• Il court extrêmement vite. (He runs extremely fast.)

3. When the adverb modifies the whole sentence

Sometimes an adverb is used to add emotion or to provide an extra detail to the entire sentence. When this is the case, the adverb usually appears at the beginning or the end of the entire sentence.

Examples: 

• Heureusement, il a réussi. (Fortunately, he succeeded.)
•  Il a accepté l’offre, évidemment. (He accepted the offer, obviously.)  

4. Negation adverbs

One of the most notable exceptions to the rules above is regarding negation (negative) adverbs like pas, jamais, plus, and rien. They generally surround a conjugated verb with the ne placed before the verb.

Examples:

• Je ne parle pas Espagnol. (I do not speak Spanish.)
• Elle ne mange jamais de viande. (She never eats meat.)

5. Frequency adverbs

If you’re using an adverb of frequency, this will usually go after the conjugated verb but before the infinitive, if the verb is followed by one.

Examples:

• Il travaille souvent tard. (He often works late.)
• Nous mangeons rarement au restaurant. (We rarely eat at the restaurant.)

Common French adverb mistakes

Learning French takes time, and mistakes are simply part of the process. And that’s completely ok. To help you steer clear of some of the most common pitfalls French learners make, we’ve compiled this list of frequent French adverb mistakes. 

1. Using an adjective instead of an adverb

Just like in English, using an adjective instead of an adverb is a common mistake. For example, many people say “She sings beautiful” instead of “She sings beautifully.” The same thing can happen in French.

❌ Elle chante magnifique.

✅ Elle chante magnifiquement.

2. Incorrect placement when using compound tenses

When using the passé composé tense or other compound tenses, then adverbs that describe how something is done generally go between the auxiliary verb and the past participle, not at the end of the sentence. If you make this mistake, you will still be understood, but it just sounds less natural.

❌ Elle a fini ses devoirs rapidement.

✅ Elle a rapidement fini ses devoirs.

3. Forgetting the “ne” in negations

When you’re talking casually with a French native, you might notice that they drop the “ne.” However, when you’re learning or formally communicating in French, it’s best practice to always include it.

❌ Je parle pas Espagnol. 

✅ Je ne parle pas Espagnol.

4. Overusing “très” for everything

Très is a useful adverb, but try not to overuse it. There are loads of different adverbs that can be used in their place to express varying degrees of emotion (vraiment, tellement, extrêmement).

❌ C’est très, très bon.

✅ C’est extrêmement bon.

How to learn French effectively

If you’re ready to start learning French online or want to take your existing skills to the next level, you’re in the right place. Promova is an all-in-one language platform offering multiple ways to help you master a second language. Here’s how you can learn French with Promova:

• Interactive, personalized learning plan so you can learn when and where you want.
• Bite-sized French lessons tailored to your knowledge, whether you’re a complete beginner or someone nearly fluent.
• Pronunciation & speaking practice with an AI Tutor to help you learn how to speak French — not just read and write it.
• Fun French quizzes & games to make learning grammar and vocabulary more enjoyable and easier to stick to.

Final thoughts

French adverbs might be small, but they make a huge difference. They clarify, modify, and add personality to your sentences, helping you to sound more human and expressive. By learning the main types, how to form them, and where to place them, you can turn plain, robotic statements into precise expressions.

When you start learning a language like French, it can be tempting to rely too heavily on a few adverbs. But having a rich range of adverbs can take your French to the next level. Listening to French podcasts, taking a French course, or using a language platform like Promova is a great way to learn a range of adverbs and practice using them in real-life situations.