The full guide to French adverbs

In contrast to adjectives which modify nouns, adverbs can be used to modify verbs, adjectives and even other adverbs.

Examples of adverbs used to modify verbs

The two diagrams below show examples of French phrases where the adverb modifies the verb:

Remark about the direction of the arrows: These diagrams are dependency trees which show the syntactic structure of a sentence. The direction of the arrows goes from a head word to its dependent word.

When an adverb modifies a word, the adverb is a dependent of that word. Hence the direction of the arrow is from the word being modified to the adverb.

Examples of adverbs used to modify adjectives

Here is an example where the adverb (“plus”) modifies the adjective (“joli”):

Here is another example of an adverb (“relativement”) used to modify an adjective (“intuitif”):

Examples of adverbs used to modify other adverbs

Here is an example where the adverb (“très”) modifies another adverb (“rapidement”):

Here is another example of an adverb (“encore”) used to modify another adverb (“mieux”):

French adverbs ending in -ment

In French, many adverbs are derived from adjectives by adding the suffix -ment. This is similar to how the English language uses the suffix -ly to create an adverb from an adjective.

Although the rule is simple, there are two special cases to this pattern of forming adverbs from adjectives. These concern adjectives ending in “-ent” and in “-ant”.

Adverbs derived from adjectives ending in -ent

French adverbs which are formed from adjectives ending in “-ent” replace that ending with “-emment”. Here are some examples:

Table: examples of French adverbs derived from adjectives ending in -ent

French adverb	formation
évidemment (evidently)	évident + -emment
récemment (recently)	récent + -emment
apparemment (apparently)	apparent + -emment
impatiemment (impatiently)	impatient + -emment
différemment (differently)	différent + -emment
précédemment (before now)	précédent + -emment
prudemment (carefully)	prudent + -emment
fréquemment (often)	fréquent + -emment
violemment (violently)	violent + -emment
pertinemment (pertinently)	pertinent + -emment
décemment (decently)	décent + -emment
consciemment (consciously)	conscient + -emment

An exception to this pattern is the adverb “lentement” (lente + ment).

Adverbs created from adjectives ending in -ant

French adverbs which are formed from adjectives ending in "-ant" replace that ending with “-amment”. Here are some examples:

Table: examples of French adverbs derived from adjectives ending in -ant

French adverb	formation
suffisamment (sufficiently)	suffisant + -amment
couramment (fluently or commonly)	courant + -amment
indépendamment (independently)	indépendant + -amment
abondamment (abundantly)	abondant + -amment
constamment (constantly)	constant + -amment
brillamment (brilliantly)	brillant + -amment
étonnamment (surprisingly )	étonnant + -amment
bruyamment (noisily)	bruyant + -amment
incessamment (unceasingly)	incessant + -amment

Adverbs created from adjectives which neither end in -ent nor in -ant

Now that we have covered the special cases, we move on to the general and most common case. When forming adverbs from these adjectives, in most cases it is the feminine form of the adjective which is used.

An acute accent is added to the ‘e’ in some cases, in order to facilitate the pronunciation. For example:

Table: examples of adverb formation where an acute accent is added to facilitate the pronunciation

French adverb	formation
précisément (precise)	précise + -ment
énormément (enormously)	énorme + -ment
profondément (deeply)	profonde + -ment
conformément (accordingly)	conforme + -ment
intensément (intensely)	intense + -ment
communément (commonly)	commune + -ment

Here is a list of the most common French adverbs which are formed simply by adding the suffix -ment to an adjective.

In most cases the feminine form of the adjective is used. In the table we have sometimes indicated the masculine form of the adjective even in cases when the feminine form is used to create the adverb.

Table: examples of French adverbs which are formed by adding the suffix -ment to an adjective

French adverb	formation
éventuellement (possibly)	éventuel + -ment
entièrement (entirely)	entier + -ment
seulement (only)	seule + -ment
actuellement (currently)	actuelle + -ment
également (also / equally)	égal + -ment
simplement (simply)	simple + -ment
vraiment (truly)	vrai + -ment
nécessairement (necessarily)	nécessaire + -ment
facilement (easily)	facile + -ment
probablement (probably)	probable + -ment
lentement (slowly)	lente + -ment
parfaitement (perfectly)	parfait + -ment
absolument (absolutely)	absolu + -ment
doucement (softly)	douce + -ment
rapidement (speedily)	rapide + -ment
exactement (exactly)	exact + -ment
complètement (completely)	complet + -ment
immédiatement (immediately)	immédiate + -ment
clairement (clearly)	clair + -ment
rarement (rarely)	rare + -ment
malheureusement (unfortunately)	malheureux + -ment
particulièrement (particularly)	particulier + -ment
totalement (totally)	totale + -ment
généralement (generally)	générale + -ment
heureusement (luckily)	heureux + -ment
autrement (otherwise)	autre + -ment

French adverbs which do not end in -ment

In French, there are also many adverbs which are not derived from adjectives. Here are some examples of these:

• bien : This is a frequently used adverb, for instance in the French greeting: “Vous allez bien?”.
• jamais is a French adverb which means “never”.
• ainsi : “ainsi” translates to “thus” or “so” in English. This adverb often indicates a consequence or result that follows a previous action or statement. For example, "J'ai étudié dur, ainsi j'ai réussi mon examen" means "I studied hard, thus I passed my exam." The word “ainsi” can also be used to express a sense of manner or method, as in “Elle a organisé la soirée ainsi” which means “She organized the party like this.”
• bientôt : “bientôt” is a basic French adverb that translates to “soon” or “shortly” in English. It indicates that something will happen in the near future. For example, “Je vais bientôt finir mes devoirs” means “I will soon finish my homework” and “Nous allons bientôt arriver à la gare” means “We will arrive at the train station shortly.”
• vite : The French adverb “vite” is a frequently-used word that translates to “quickly” or “fast” in English. It is often used to indicate speed or urgency in an action or situation. For example, “Je cours vite” means “I run quickly” and “Il faut agir vite” means “We need to act fast.”
• avant is an adverb of time which means “before”.
• peu : the adverb “peu” is a commonly used word that translates to “little” or “few” in English. It is often used to indicate a small quantity or degree. For example, “Il parle peu” means “He speaks little” and “Il a peu d’amis” means “He has few friends.” The word “peu” can also be used to express a sense of negativity or inadequacy, as in “Elle a peu de confiance en elle” which means “She has little confidence in herself.”
• désormais (“from now on”): This adverb is only used in rather formal language.
• loin is an adverb of place which means “far”.
• là is an adverb of place which means “there”. Note the presence of the accent mark which distinguishes it from the French definite article (la).
• beaucoup (“very much”)
• dehors is an adverb of place which means “outside”.
• mieux (“better”)
• assez (“enough” or “somewhat”)
• néanmoins : “néanmoins” is a French word that translates to “nevertheless” or “nonetheless” in English. It is used to introduce a contrasting idea or opinion and is typically used in formal or academic settings.
• trop : this adverb of degree which means “too” (as in “too much”).
• maintenant is an adverb of time which means “now”.
• toujours (“always”) : This is a very common adverb in French.
• alors can either be used as an adverb of time (in which case it means “then”), or as a conjunctive adverb (in which case it means “hence” or “so”).
• ici is an adverb of place which means “here”.
• tard is an adverb of time which means “late”.
• ailleurs is an adverb of place which means “elsewhere”. It indicates a place other than the current location or previously mentioned place. For example, the phrase “Je ne veux pas rester ici, allons ailleurs” means “I don’t want to stay here, let’s go somewhere else”.
• déjà (“already”) : This is one of the common French adverbs. Anglophones will recognize it from the expression “déjà vu” which has entered the English language.
• tôt is an adverb of time which means “early”.
• dorénavant (“from now on”): This adverb is old-fashioned and mostly found in literary language. It indicates a change or transition to a new way of doing things. For example, “Dorénavant, je vais me lever plus tôt" means "From now on, I am going to wake up earlier."
• encore : “encore” is a commonly used French adverb that translates to “still”, “yet”, or “again” in English. It often indicates that something continues to happen at a given moment. For example, “Il est encore en train de travailler” means “He is still working” and “Nous n’avons pas encore fini” means “We haven’t finished yet.” The word “encore” can also be used to express a sense of repetition or continuation, as in “Je veux encore une tasse de café” which means “I want another cup of coffee.” .
• environ (“about”) : This adverb is frequently used both in everyday French as well as in formal French.
• cash is an informal/colloquial French adverb which means “bluntly”. It originates from the English word “cash”.
• enfin : “enfin” is a commonly used word that translates to “finally” or “at last” in English. It often indicates a sense of relief or completion after a long-awaited or difficult situation. For example, “Enfin, les vacances sont arrivées” means “Finally, the holidays have arrived” and “J’ai terminé mon travail, enfin!” means “I finished my work, at last!” The word “enfin” can also be used to express a sense of conclusion, as in “Enfin, nous avons compris la leçon” which means “Finally, we understood the lesson.”
• presque (“almost”) : This is a common adverb, both in casual as well as in formal French.
• très (“very”) : this common French adverb is often used to modify another adverb, for example in the phrase “il parle très vite”. It is also often used to modify an adjective, as in the phrase: “il est très grand”
• longtemps (“for a long time”)
• demain (“tomorrow”)
• ensemble (“together”)
• souvent is an adverb of time which means “often”. This is one of the most common adverbs in the French language.
• derrière is an adverb of place which means “behind”.
• cependant (“however”) : This adverb is only used in formal speech. In everyday conversations, the adverb “portant” would be used instead.
• lors : This adverb is typically used to introduce a preposition of the form “lors de ..”.
• surtout : This is an important adverb to know as it is used very often in French. It means “especially”.
• parfois (“sometimes”) : this adverb is frequently used both in casual and in formal French.
• juste This French word can serve either as an adjective or as an adverb. When used as an adverb, it means “only” or “precisely” depending on the context.
• partout (“everywhere”): This is a common French adverb which is used in everyday conversations.
• autrefois is an adverb of time which means “back in the day” or “in the past”. For example, "Les gens voyageaient à cheval autrefois" means "People used to travel on horseback in the past" and "Les villes étaient plus petites autrefois" means "Cities were smaller in the past." The word “autrefois” can also be used to express a sense of nostalgia or longing for the past, as in “Je me souviens de mes vacances autrefois” which means “I remember my vacations in the past.”
• autant: The adverb “autant” is a versatile word that can be translated as “as much”, “as many”, “equally”, or “to the same extent” in English. It often indicates a comparison or similarity between two or more things. For example, "J'aime autant le thé que le café" means "I like tea as much as coffee" and "Nous sommes autant motivés l'un que l'autre" means "We are equally motivated."
• guère : The adverb “guère” is a somewhat formal and relatively uncommon word that translates to “hardly” or “barely” in English. It is often used in more formal or literary contexts.
• auparavant (“beforehand”): This is another adverb which is only used in formal French language. In everyday conversation, one would simply use the adverb “avant”.
• davantage (“more”) : This adverb is mostly used in formal French. It is often used to indicate an increase in quantity, degree, or intensity. For example, in the phrase "J'ai besoin de travailler davantage" which means "I need to work more."
• pourtant (“however”) : This adverb is frequently used in French.
• jadis : “Jadis” is a literary and somewhat archaic word that translates to “once” or “formerly” in English. It is often used to describe events or situations that happened long ago and is typically used in a nostalgic or poetic sense. For example, “Jadis, cette ville était paisible et charmante” means “This city was once peaceful and charming.” Although “jadis” is not commonly used in everyday speech, it is still an essential word for writers and poets who want to convey a sense of nostalgia or longing for the past.
• dessus is an adverb of place which means “above”.
• dessous is an adverb of place which means “under”.
• soudain : The adverb “soudain” translates to “suddenly” or “abruptly” in English and indicates an unexpected change or occurrence in a given situation. For example, “Soudain, il a commencé à pleuvoir” means “Suddenly, it started raining” The word “soudain” can also be used to express a sense of surprise or urgency, as in “Soudain, il a compris la gravité de la situation” which means “Suddenly, he understood the gravity of the situation.”
• toutefois (“however”): This adverb is not used in everyday casual French, but it is reserved for formal speech.
• volontiers: The adverb “volontiers” translates to “willingly” or “gladly” in English. It is often used to indicate a positive response to an invitation or offer. For example, "Je viendrai volontiers à ta fête” means “I will gladly come to your party." The word “volontiers” can also be used to express a sense of enthusiasm or eagerness, as in “J’accepte volontiers cette opportunité” which means “I eagerly accept this opportunity.”