Manner adverbs in French describe how an action is performed (e.g., quickly, carefully). They usually end in -ment and are typically placed immediately after the verb. If the verb is followed by a direct object, the adverb goes after the object. Manner adverbs can also modify adjectives or other adverbs, in which case they precede the word they modify.
Examples of Manner Adverbs
| French Adverb | English Meaning |
|---|
| rapidement | quickly |
| doucement | gently |
| soigneusement | carefully |
| facilement | easily |
| bien | well |
| mal | badly |
| aussitôt | immediately |
Placement Rules with Examples
. Simple Tenses (e.g., Présent, Passé Composé, Futur Proche)
- Place the adverb immediately after the verb.
- If there is a direct object, the adverb goes after the object.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Plural | English Plural |
|---|
| Il parle doucement. | He speaks gently. | Ils parlent doucement. | They speak gently. |
| Elle a fini rapidement. | She finished quickly. | Elles ont fini rapidement. | They finished quickly. |
| Je regarde attentivement le film. | I watch the movie carefully. | Nous regardons attentivement les films. | We watch the movies carefully. |
. Compound Tenses (e.g., Passé Composé, Plus-que-parfait)
- In compound tenses, manner adverbs are placed after the past participle.
- This applies to all compound tenses formed with avoir or être.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Plural | English Plural |
|---|
| Il a répondu rapidement. | He answered quickly. | Ils ont répondu rapidement. | They answered quickly. |
| Elle est sortie doucement. | She went out gently. | Elles sont sorties doucement. | They went out gently. |
. Negative Sentences
- The negation (ne ... pas, ne ... jamais, etc.) surrounds the verb.
- The adverb stays outside the negation and follows the verb or past participle.
| French Singular | English Singular | French Plural | English Plural |
|---|
| Il ne parle pas doucement. | He does not speak gently. | Ils ne parlent pas doucement. | They do not speak gently. |
| Elle n'a pas fini rapidement. | She did not finish quickly. | Elles n'ont pas fini rapidement. | They did not finish quickly. |
. Infinitives
- When an adverb modifies an infinitive, it is placed immediately before the infinitive.
| French | English |
|---|
| Elle aime lire tranquillement. | She likes to read peacefully. |
| Il essaie de travailler efficacement. | He tries to work efficiently. |
. Modifying Adjectives or Other Adverbs
- Manner adverbs also modify adjectives or other adverbs.
- In these cases, they precede the word they modify.
| French | English |
|---|
| Elle est incroyablement rapide. | She is incredibly fast. |
| Il court très lentement. | He runs very slowly. |
Summary
Manner adverbs in French typically end in -ment and describe how an action is performed. Their placement depends on the verb tense and sentence structure, but most commonly they appear:
- After the verb in simple tenses (e.g., Il parle doucement).
- After the past participle in compound tenses (e.g., Elle a fini rapidement).
- After the object if one is present (e.g., Je lis attentivement le texte).
- Before an infinitive if modifying it (e.g., Il aime dormir paisiblement).
- Before adjectives or other adverbs if modifying them (e.g., très doucement).
The adverb bien (“well”) is irregular and its meaning can vary with context.
