Adverbs

Formation of Adverbs

• In French, most adverbs are formed by adding “-ment” to the feminine form of the adjective.
• If the adjective ends in a vowel, “-ment” is added to the masculine form.
• Adjectives ending in “-ent” or “-ant” form the adverb with “-emment” or “-amment” respectively.

Placement of Adverbs

• Generally, adverbs are placed after the verb they modify. Examples include “Je parle rapidement” (I speak quickly).
• When used with a compound tense, the adverb is usually placed after the auxiliary verb. For instance, “Elle a bien chanté” (She sang well).
• Some adverbs, however, such as “aussi” (also), “toujours” (always), and “souvent” (often), are placed before the verb they modify.

Commonly Used Adverbs

• “Jamais” (never), “toujours” (always), “souvent” (often), “parfois” (sometimes), and “rarement” (rarely) are commonly used frequency adverbs.
• Direction adverbs include “ici” (here), “là” (there), “devant” (in front), “derrière” (behind), “à gauche” (on the left), and “à droite” (on the right).
• Important adverbs of manner include “bien” (well), “mal” (badly/poorly), “vite” (quickly), “lentement” (slowly), and “facilement” (easily).

Comparative and Superlative of Adverbs

• Comparative structures are similar to those used with adjectives. “Plus” (more), “moins” (less), and “aussi” (as)…“que” (as) are used to express comparative statements.
• Superlative structures also follow similar patterns as adjectives, but are always followed by “de” (of). For instance “C’est la personne qui parle le plus rapidement de nous” (She is the fastest speaker among us).

Don’t forget to use these adverbs to enhance your written and oral expression, as they add richness to your language use.