Adverbs – formation and placement
The function of adverbs
Let's review what adverbs are and what they do. Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or
other adverbs.
Adverbs can be used to describe how someone does something, as in:
Il joue bien. (He plays well.)
Adverbs can be used to talk about how often someone does something, as in:
Je vais souvent au supermarché. (I go to the supermarket often.)
Adverbs can be used to qualify a description, as in:
Elle est très intelligente. (She is very smart.)
The formation of adverbs
In English, adverbs generally end in -ly as in “politely” or “happily.” In French, adverbs generally end
in -ment. Most adjectives can be turned into adverbs through a simple process.
If the adjective already ends in a vowel, an adverb can be formed by adding –ment directly to the end
of it.
Adjective
Adverb
poli (polite)
à poliment (politely)
vrai (true)
à vraiment (truly)
confortable (comfortable)à confortablement (comfortably)
rare (rare)
à rarement (rarely)
If the adjective does not end in a vowel, add -ment to the feminine form of the adjective.
Masc. Adj.
premier
sérieux
normal
généreux
actif
doux
Fem. Adj.
à première
à sérieuse
à normale
à généreuse
à active
à douce
Adverb
à premièrement (firstly)
à sérieusement (seriously)
à normalement (normally)
à généreusement (generously)
à activement (actively)
à doucement (softly)
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages. Adjectives that end in -ant and -ent follow a slightly different pattern. The -ant ending becomes
-amment while the -ent becomes -emment.
élégant
patient
à élégamment
à patiemment
There are a few exceptions:
gentil (kind)
bon (good)
mauvais (bad)
à gentiment (kindly)
à bien (well)
à mal (poorly)
© 2011 Middlebury Interactive Languages. All rights reserved. This material is intended for the exclusive use of registered users only. No portion of these materials may be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express permission of Middlebury Interactive Languages.