Adverbs
1 Definition
An adverb is a word like curieusement that can modify most parts of speech apart from a noun . It is always invariable .
2 Adverbs formed using -ment
2.1 Regular formations
Adverbs are most commonly formed by adding -ment to the feminine form of the adjective :
| Masc adj | Fem adj | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| clair | claire | clairement |
| clear | clear | clearly |
| général | générale | généralement |
| gernal | general | generally |
| doux | douce | doucement |
| soft | soft | softly |
| dernier | dernière | dernièrement |
| last | last | lastly |
| complet | complète | complètement |
| complete | complete | completely |
| vif | vive | vivement |
| lively | lively | greatly |
Sometimes the e preceding the final -ment takes an acute accent .
| Feminine adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| précise | précisément |
| accurate | accurately |
| profonde | profondément |
| deep | deeply |
| énorme | énormément |
| enormous | enormously |
| uniforme | uniformément |
| uniform | uniformly |
Note
An exception to this is adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -able, hence adverbs such as probablement, véritablement and so on.
2.2 Irregular formations
Some adverbs are formed by adding -ment to the masculine form of the adjective. This is usually the case for adverbs formed from adjectives ending in a single vowel :
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| vrai | vraiment |
| true | truly |
| infini | infiniment |
| infinite | infinitely |
| absolu | absolument |
| absolute | absolutely |
| horrible | horriblement |
| horrible | horribly |
| aisé | aisément |
| easy | easily |
Adverbs formed from adjectives ending in -ant or -ent generally end in -amment and -emment (pronounced like -amment) respectively:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| évident | évidemment |
| clear | clearly |
| violent | violemment |
| violent | violently |
| courant | couramment |
| fluent | fluently |
| suffisant | suffisamment |
| sufficient | sufficiently |
Exceptions to these irregular formations include gaiement, lentement and gentiment. There are also the wholly irregular formations bien (well) from bon (good) and mal (badly) from mauvais (bad).
3 Adjectives used as adverbs
Many adjectives are used as adverbs without the addition of -ment. These include:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| bas | low |
| bon | good |
| chaud | hot |
| cher | a lot |
| clair | clearly |
| dur | hard |
| faux | out of tune; wrongly |
| fort | extremely |
| frais | freshly |
| haut | high |
| juste | in tune; right |
| lourd | heavy |
| mauvais | bad |
| net | outright, point blank |
Avec mes nouvelles lunettes je vois clair maintenant
With my new glasses I can see clearly now
Il a refusé tout net de l'aider
He refused point blank to help him / her
4 Other ways of forming adverbial expressions
The adverbial -ly form is far more commonly used in English than is the -ment form in French. Where the -ment option is not available or desired, the following structures can often be used:
4.1 Avec + noun
Il la regarda avec amour / tristesse
He looked at her lovingly / sadly
4.2 De façon / d'une manière + adjective
Il faut qu'on agisse de façon / d'une manière décisive
We must act decisively