Understanding French Adverb Placement
French adverb placement is more flexible than English, but there are important rules to follow. The position depends on:
1. What the adverb modifies (verb, adjective, or another adverb)
2. The type of adverb (manner, time, frequency, etc.)
3. The tense (simple vs compound tenses)
Correct placement is crucial for natural-sounding French.
Examples
Il parle bien français. (He speaks French well.)
Adverb after verb in simple tense
Il a bien parlé. (He spoke well.)
Adverb between auxiliary and past participle
Elle est très intelligente. (She is very intelligent.)
Adverb before adjective
Adverbs Modifying Verbs - Simple Tenses
In simple tenses (present, imperfect, future), adverbs usually go after the conjugated verb:
Examples
Je mange souvent au restaurant. (I often eat at the restaurant.)
Frequency adverb after verb
Elle parle lentement. (She speaks slowly.)
Manner adverb after verb
Nous travaillons beaucoup. (We work a lot.)
Quantity adverb after verb
Common Adverbs After Verbs
Frequently used adverbs that follow verbs:
Verb + Adverb Pattern
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | souvent, toujours, jamais | Il vient souvent. (He comes often.) |
| Manner | bien, mal, vite | Elle chante bien. (She sings well.) |
| Quantity | beaucoup, peu, trop | Tu manges trop. (You eat too much.) |
| Degree | assez, très, plutôt | Il dort assez. (He sleeps enough.) |
Long Adverbs at End
Longer adverbs typically go at the end of the clause:
Il parle français couramment. (He speaks French fluently.)
Long manner adverb at end
Elle travaille efficacement. (She works efficiently.)
Long manner adverb at end
Adverbs with Compound Tenses
In compound tenses (passé composé, plus-que-parfait, etc.), short adverbs usually go between the auxiliary and past participle:
Examples
J'ai bien mangé. (I ate well.)
Short adverb between auxiliary and participle
Elle a souvent voyagé. (She has often traveled.)
Frequency adverb in middle position
Nous avons beaucoup travaillé. (We worked a lot.)
Quantity adverb in middle position
Short Adverbs in Compound Tenses
Common short adverbs that go between auxiliary and participle:
Auxiliary + Adverb + Participle
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| bien/mal | well/badly | Il a bien dormi. (He slept well.) |
| souvent/toujours | often/always | Elle a souvent ri. (She often laughed.) |
| beaucoup/peu | much/little | Tu as beaucoup mangé. (You ate a lot.) |
| déjà/encore | already/still | J'ai déjà fini. (I already finished.) |
Long Adverbs After Participle
Longer adverbs go after the past participle:
Il a parlé lentement. (He spoke slowly.)
Long manner adverb after participle
Elle a travaillé efficacement. (She worked efficiently.)
Long manner adverb after participle
Adverbs Modifying Adjectives
Adverbs modifying adjectives go before the adjective:
Examples
Elle est très intelligente. (She is very intelligent.)
Degree adverb before adjective
Il est assez grand. (He is quite tall.)
Degree adverb before adjective
C'est plutôt difficile. (It's rather difficult.)
Degree adverb before adjective
Common Degree Adverbs
Adverbs that modify adjectives:
Adverb + Adjective
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| très | very | très beau (very beautiful) |
| assez | quite/enough | assez bon (quite good) |
| plutôt | rather | plutôt joli (rather pretty) |
| trop | too | trop cher (too expensive) |
Multiple Modifiers
When multiple adverbs modify an adjective:
Elle est très très belle. (She is very, very beautiful.)
Repetition for emphasis
Il est assez plutôt intelligent. (He is quite rather intelligent.)
Multiple degree adverbs (less common)
Adverbs Modifying Other Adverbs
Adverbs modifying other adverbs go before the adverb they modify:
Examples
Il conduit très lentement. (He drives very slowly.)
Degree adverb before manner adverb
Elle parle assez bien français. (She speaks French quite well.)
Degree adverb before manner adverb
Tu travailles plutôt efficacement. (You work rather efficiently.)
Degree adverb before manner adverb
Adverb + Adverb Combinations
Common combinations of adverbs:
très bien (very well)
assez mal (quite badly)
plutôt souvent (rather often)
trop vite (too quickly)
Time and Place Adverbs
Time and place adverbs have flexible placement but follow general patterns:
Examples
Hier, j'ai vu Marie. (Yesterday, I saw Marie.)
Time adverb at beginning for emphasis
J'ai vu Marie hier. (I saw Marie yesterday.)
Time adverb at end (neutral position)
Il habite ici. (He lives here.)
Place adverb after verb
Time Adverb Placement
Where to place time adverbs:
Beginning: Aujourd'hui, nous partons. (Today, we're leaving.)
End: Nous partons aujourd'hui. (We're leaving today.)
Beginning: Demain, il pleuvra. (Tomorrow, it will rain.)
End: Il pleuvra demain. (It will rain tomorrow.)
Place Adverb Placement
Where to place place adverbs:
After verb: Je vais là-bas. (I'm going over there.)
After verb: Elle reste ici. (She's staying here.)
Negative Adverbs
Negative adverbs like jamais, plus, rien have special placement rules with ne:
Examples
Je ne viens jamais. (I never come.)
Ne...jamais around verb
Il n'a jamais mangé ça. (He has never eaten that.)
Ne...jamais around auxiliary
Negative Adverb Patterns
Common negative adverb constructions:
Negative Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ne...jamais | never | Je ne sors jamais. (I never go out.) |
| ne...plus | no longer | Il ne fume plus. (He no longer smokes.) |
| ne...rien | nothing | Elle ne dit rien. (She says nothing.) |
| ne...guère | hardly | Tu ne manges guère. (You hardly eat.) |
Common Adverb Placement Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong position in compound tenses: Putting long adverbs between auxiliary and participle
2. Adjective modification: Putting adverbs after adjectives instead of before
3. Negative placement: Wrong position of negative adverbs
4. Time adverb confusion: Unclear about flexible placement options
Examples
❌ J'ai lentement mangé → ✅ J'ai mangé lentement
Wrong: long adverbs go after past participle
❌ Elle est intelligente très → ✅ Elle est très intelligente
Wrong: adverbs go before adjectives
❌ Je jamais ne viens → ✅ Je ne viens jamais
Wrong: ne comes before verb, jamais after
❌ Il a parlé bien → ✅ Il a bien parlé
Wrong: short adverbs go between auxiliary and participle