French language: Adverb

Adverbs (Adverbes)

List of Basic Adverbs

Time
alors then après after aujourd'hui today auparavant formerly, previously aussitôt at once, right now autrefois formerly, previously avant-hier the day before yesterday bientôt soon d'abord at first, at the outset déjà already, by now, yet	demain tomorrow dorénavant since this moment on encore still, yet enfin at last, finally ensuite afterwards hier yesterday jadis formerly jamais ever lendemain the day after maintenant in this moment, now	naguère recently parfois sometimes puis after quand when soudain suddenly souvent often toujours ever tard late tôt early ...

Place
ailleurs elsewhere dedans inside dehors outside dessous below, downstairs dessus above, on top, upstairs	devant before en from here / there ici here là here, there là-bas there	loin away où where partout everywhere près near y (to) there

Quantity
assez enough, rather, sufficiently autant que as far as beaucoup de much, many bien much, many combien de as much, as many davantage more environ about, approximately	guère too little moins less peu little plus more presque almost, nearly que = combien seulement only	si so suffisamment sufficiently, enough tant that much tellement like this, so, that way, thus très quite, very, very much trop too, too much ...

Affirmation and Negation	Interrogation	Manner
certes certainly, sure guère too little jamais never ne not ni neither non no oui yes pas no point not at all si yes (to negative question)	combien? how much (many) comment? how? où? where? pourquoi? why? quand? when?	ainsi so, that way, thus aussi like this bas silently bien well comme as, like, such as haut aloud mal badly surtout above all, especially vite soon See also Derived Adverbs.

Derived Adverbs

A lot of adverbs are derived regularly from the feminine forms of the adjectives by adding the suffix -ment (this pattern appeared in the Vulgar Latin), cf.

lent : lente slow => lentement slowly,
simple : simple simple => simplement simply.

These adverbs correspond to the English adverbs formed by -ly.

Some adverbs are irregular:

A. Many adjectives ending in -ant or -ent take the adverb ending -amment or -emment:

courant => couramment currently,
intelligent => intelligemment intelligently,
brillant => brillamment briliantly.

B. Other irregular forms are:

précis => précisément precisely,
bref => brièvement briefly,
gentil => gentiment gently.

Some adverbs are formed from the adjectives by the way of conversion (in other words their forms coincide with the masculine forms of the adjectives), cf.:

chanter faux to sing off-key,
voler haut / bas to fly high / low,
parler fort to speak loudly,
travailler dur to work hard.

Degree of the Adverbs (Degrés des Adverbes)

Comparative Degree (Degré Comparatif)

Normal	C o m p a r a t i v e
Superiority	Equality	Inferiority
vite	plus ADV. que plus vite que	aussi ADV. que aussi vite que	moins ADV. que moins vite que

Normal

C o m p a r a t i v e

Superiority

Equality

Inferiority

vite

plus ADV. que

plus vite que

aussi ADV. que

aussi vite que

moins ADV. que

moins vite que

Superlative Degree (Degré Superlatif)

Normal	S u p e r l a t i v e
Superiority	Inferiority
vite	le plus ADV. le plus vite	le moins ADV. le moins vite

Normal

S u p e r l a t i v e

Superiority

Inferiority

vite

le plus ADV.

le plus vite

le moins ADV.

le moins vite

Two adverbs have irregular forms:

bien well => mieux => le mieux;
mal badly => pis (plus mal) = > le pis (le plus mal).

Adverbials (Locutions adverbiales)

Time
à la fin at last, finally à la fois in the same time une fois once, formerly à présent presently dans le temps formerly depuis longtemps since longtime	depuis toujours since ever de temps à autre from time to time de temps en temps from time to time du temps au temps from time to time de tout temps since ever tout à l'heure soon	tout de suite right now tout le temps always tous les jours always de jour en jour gradually de nos jours nowadays

Place
à la droite to the right à la gauche to the left à la maison home à part beside au dehors outside, outdoors au-dessous to downstairs / below	au-dessus to upstairs / up de dessous from downstairs / below d'où from where en bas below, downstairs en dedans within, inside, indoors en dehors outside, outdoors	en dessous downstairs en dessus upstairs nulle part nowhere par icí this way quelque part somewhere

Manner
à la dérobée stealthily à la française in a French manner à la paysanne in peasents' manner	de bon gré by good will de cette façon in this way en vain in vain	tour à tour rotationally à merveille miraculously

Quantity	Affirmation and Negation	Degree
au moins at least au plus at most de plus of much de peu of some de tout of all peu plus ou moins aproximately	bien entendu of course bien sur of course d'accord in agreement en effet in effect sans doute undoubtedly	a peine barely, hardly, (only) just a peu près almost pas du tout definitively not tout a fait completely

See also Placement of the Adverb.

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