Lesson 2 - Grammar 4 - Other adverbs (Autres adverbes)
The formation of other adverbs from adjectives was discussed previously. Many adverbs have no parallel adjective forms but occur in the same three possible places in the utterance, as described in Lesson 1, Grammar 4.
Adverbs can be classified according to the kind of information they provide. The groups include:
1. Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time | English |
---|---|
alors | then |
aujourd’hui | today |
bientôt | soon |
déjà | already |
demain | tomorrow |
encore | still |
enfin | finally |
longtemps | a long time |
maintenant | now |
prochainement | in the near future |
souvent | often |
toujours | always |
2. Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of degree | English |
---|---|
bien | well |
si | so |
presque | almost |
tout à fait | completely |
très | very |
3. Adverbs of quantity
Adverbs of quantity | English |
---|---|
assez | enough |
autant | as much, as many |
beaucoup | much, many |
moins | less |
pas mal | quite a few |
peu | little, few |
plus | more |
tant | so much, so many |
trop | too much, too many |
Notice that when an adverb of quantity precedes a noun, that noun is preceded by ‘de’ instead of the article (see French for beginners course, lesson 10, grammar 3)
4. Adverbs of manner
Most adverbs formed from adjectives + ment are adverbs of manner :
Adverbs of manner | English | Adverbs of manner | English |
---|---|---|---|
certainement | certainly | nouvellement | newly |
entièrement | entirely | parfaitement | perfectly |
exactement | exactly | seulement | only |
généralement | generally | vraiment | really |
librement | freely | mal | badly |
bien | well |