Grammar: Adverbs - Time and Place

Grammar: Adverbs - Time and Place

Section: Time Adverbs

• Adverbs of time in French refer to periods or specific moments in time and they assist in explaining when or for how long an action occurred.

• Adverbs as maintenant (now), hier (yesterday), demain (tomorrow), toujours (still or always), souvent (often), and parfois (sometimes) are commonly used.

• Sentences with a time phrase usually put the time expression at the end. For example, Je vais au cinéma demain translates to I am going to the cinema tomorrow.

• The word jamais can mean never when used with negation, but ever when used in a question. For example, Je ne mange jamais de viande translates to I never eat meat, while Est-ce que tu as jamais mangé de la viande? translates to Have you ever eaten meat?.

Section: Place Adverbs

• Adverbs of place help specify where an action takes place. Examples include ici (here), là (there), partout (everywhere), loin (far), and près (near).

• Frequently, French sentences place these adverbs at the end. For instance, Elle habite loin translates to She lives far away.

• Pay attention to adverbs that look identical but have different meanings depending on if they come before or after the verb. For example, La voiture est encore là (The car is still there) vs La voiture là est rouge (That car there is red).

• D’ici means from here and à partir d’ici means starting from here. Example: Il faut deux heures pour y aller à partir d’ici translates to It takes two hours to get there starting from here.