Les Adverbes en -ment
Derive adverbs from adjectives by adding -ment to the feminine form: lentement, rapidement. Recognize and use common irregular adverbs: bien, mal, vite, beaucoup, peu.
A lesson of French A2 — Elementary, in Comparaisons & Degré, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will form French adverbs from adjectives using the -ment rule and use the most important irregular adverbs correctly.
What Are Adverbs?
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They answer questions like how?, how much?, how often?, when? They are invariable — they never change form to agree with gender or number.
Elle parle lentement. — She speaks slowly. Il travaille sérieusement. — He works seriously. Tu as vraiment bien fait. — You really did well.
Forming Adverbs: The -ment Rule
Step 1: Take the Feminine Form of the Adjective
Most French adverbs are formed by adding -ment to the feminine singular of the adjective.
| Masculine Adjective | Feminine Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| lent | lente | lentement (slowly) |
| rapide | rapide | rapidement (quickly) |
| sérieux | sérieuse | sérieusement (seriously) |
| heureux | heureuse | heureusement (fortunately) |
| naturel | naturelle | naturellement (naturally) |
| certain | certaine | certainement (certainly) |
| complet | complète | complètement (completely) |
| doux | douce | doucement (softly, gently) |
| faux | fausse | faussement (falsely) |
When the masculine form already ends in a vowel, add -ment directly to the masculine: vrai → vraiment, absolu → absolument, poli → poliment
Step 2: Special Endings
Adjectives ending in -ant or -ent form adverbs in -amment or -emment (both pronounced the same: "ah-MAHN"):
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|