Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, and generally answer one of the following questions: who, what, when, where or why? Consult our post on adverbs if you need to review the grammar concepts behind French adverbs.
Many have familiar adjective beginnings in the feminine form, followed by –ment, which is the traditional suffix for French adverbs (and corresponds to the -ly ending that most English adverbs have).
However, there are other adverbs that do not have a single word translation like they do in English and are instead described with a preposition + an adjective to convey the same meaning, and there are other adverbs that do not take the -ment ending.
Finally, be careful when selecting which specific adverb to use in your communications and look up exact definitions to make sure that how you are applying the word matches with what you mean. Many adverbs, both in French and English, have several meanings depending on exactly the context (for example, “roughly” in English can mean both “abrasive, not smooth” and “approximately”, among others). Double check your translations whenever possible.
Below is a list of 45 common French adverbs.
| slowly | lentement |
| quickly | rapidement |
| happily | gaiement |
| sadly | tristement |
| unfortunately | malheureusement |
| gracefully | avec grâce |
| clumsily | maladroitement |
| generally | généralement |
| specifically | spécifiquement, précisément |
| accidentally | accidentellement |
| intentionally | intentionnellement |
| annually | annuellement |
| weekly | hebdomadaire |
| daily | quotidiennement |
| badly | mal |
| well | bien |
| boldly | audacieusement |
| luckily | heureusement |
| cruelly | sans pitié, cruellement |
| kindly | gentiment |
| carefully | prudemment |
| carelessly | négligemment |
| gently | doucement |
| forcefully | brutalement |
| weakly | faiblement |
| strongly | vivement |
| more | plus |
| soon | bientôt |
| really | vraiment |
| sometimes | parfois |
| suspiciously | avec suspicion |
| thoughtfully | pensivement |
| tightly | fermement |
| loosely | lâchement |
| still/yet | encore |
| truthfully | honnêtement |
| unexpectedly | à l’improviste |
| violently | violemment |
| sleepily | à moitié endormi |
| wearily | avec lassitude |
| willingly | volontiers |
| quietly | en silence |
| loudly | fort |
| mysteriously | mystérieusement |
| successfully | avec succès |
