Adverbs are words that add meaning to the verb and describe actions. They usually tell you where, when or howsomething happened or how something is done.

Adverb endings

Most French adverbs end in -ment, like -ly in English, for example:

• généralement - generally

To form an adverb, you need to add -ment to the feminine singular form of the adjective. For example:

1. heureux (happy) changes to → feminine singular is heureuse (happy)
2. then add -ment → heureusement (happily)

But when the masculine singular adjective ends in a vowel, simply add -ment straight onto the end:

• joli → joliment
• libre → librement

When the masculine adjective ends in -ent or -ant remove the -ent or-ant and add -emment or -amment:

• récent → réc(ent) → réc + -emment = récemment - recently
• constant → const(ant) → const + -amment = constamment- constantly

Exception:

• lent → lentement slowly

Irregular adverbs:

• bref → brièvement - briefly
• gentil → gentiment - kindly/gently

Position of the adverb

Most of the time the adverb goes after the verb.

When using the past tense it usually goes between the auxiliary (the part of avoir or être) and the past participle unless it is a long one!

• il va fréquemment dans les magasins - he goes frequently to the shops
• elle a mangé lentement - she ate slowly
• il a vite mangé - he ate quickly

Adverbs of time and place