Adverbs in -ment and their position
The French «-ly», and why adverbs don't go before the verb.
Most adverbs of manner are made from the feminine adjective + -ment, the equivalent of English «-ly».
| Adjective | Rule | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| lent → lente | feminine + -ment | lentement (slowly) |
| heureux → heureuse | feminine + -ment | heureusement (fortunately) |
| rapide, facile | ending in -e: + -ment | rapidement, facilement |
| vrai, poli | ending in a vowel: masculine + -ment | vraiment, poliment |
| courant | -ant → -amment | couramment (fluently) |
| évident | -ent → -emment | évidemment (obviously) |
Irregular and very common: bon → bien, mauvais → mal, rapide → vite.
Position
- In simple tenses, the adverb goes right after the verb: Il parle bien français.
- In the passé composé, short adverbs (bien, mal, déjà, souvent, toujours, beaucoup, trop) go between the auxiliary and the participle: J'ai bien dormi. Tu as déjà mangé ?
- Adverbs of time and place usually go at the beginning or end: Hier, je suis sorti.
Test yourself
-
Make an adverb from «doux».
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doucement -
Make an adverb from «patient».
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patiemment -
Translate: «I slept well.»
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J'ai bien dormi. -
Translate: «He often talks about you.»
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Il parle souvent de toi.