Adverbs What is an adverb? An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Mary drives well The house is very big The girl ran too quickly Formation of adverbs: Most French adverbs are formed by adding –ment to the feminine form of the adjective. Douce – doucement Normale - normalement However, if an adjective ends in –ent or –ant the endings change to –emment or –amment. (The only exception is lent). There are a group of adverbs that are single words in their own right (the most common are listed below). Position of adverbs: In French, adverbs which qualify a verb come as close to it as possible, usually directly after it. Nous allons souvent au théâtre Adverbs of time usually come before a past participle. J’ai déjà vu le film Adverb or adjective? It is important that you distinguish one from the other. Remember, adverbs are invariable (they do not agree with the noun they modify) whereas adjectives do agree. Study tips: 1. Create flashcards for each French adverb you learn and its English equivalent. 2. When you learn the placement of adverbs in a sentence, add sample sentences illustrating their placement. Common adverbs: Très Assez Trop Peu Beaucoup Déjà Souvent Bientôt Ici Là Partout Ensemble Debout Mieux Moins Bien Mal Vite