Understanding French Adverbs of Time and Place
French adverbs of time and place provide essential context for when and where actions occur. They are invariable and typically placed at the beginning or end of sentences.
Time adverbs (adverbes de temps):
- Past: hier, avant-hier, autrefois
- Present: aujourd'hui, maintenant, actuellement
- Future: demain, après-demain, bientôt
Place adverbs (adverbes de lieu):
- Here/There: ici, là, là-bas
- Direction: dehors, dedans, partout
- Position: dessus, dessous, devant, derrière
Key characteristics:
- Invariable: Never change form
- Flexible position: Can start or end sentences
- Essential context: Provide temporal and spatial reference
- High frequency: Used constantly in everyday French
These adverbs are fundamental for expressing when and where actions take place.
Examples
Hier, j'ai rencontré Paul. (Yesterday, I met Paul.)
Time adverb at the beginning for emphasis
Nous habitons ici. (We live here.)
Place adverb at the end for location
Maintenant, tout va bien. (Now, everything is fine.)
Present time adverb for current state
Time Adverbs: Past
Adverbs referring to past time:
Past Time Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| hier | yesterday | Hier, il a plu. (Yesterday, it rained.) |
| avant-hier | day before yesterday | Avant-hier, j'étais malade. (Day before yesterday, I was sick.) |
| autrefois | formerly, in the past | Autrefois, c'était différent. (In the past, it was different.) |
| jadis | long ago | Jadis, les gens vivaient différemment. (Long ago, people lived differently.) |
| récemment | recently | Récemment, j'ai déménagé. (Recently, I moved.) |
| dernièrement | lately | Dernièrement, il fait beau. (Lately, the weather has been nice.) |
Examples
Hier soir, nous avons dîné au restaurant. (Last night, we dined at the restaurant.)
Avant-hier matin, j'ai fait du sport. (The morning before yesterday, I did sports.)
HIER Expressions
Common phrases with "hier":
hier matin (yesterday morning)
hier soir (last night)
Time Adverbs: Present
Adverbs referring to present time:
Present Time Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| aujourd'hui | today | Aujourd'hui, c'est lundi. (Today is Monday.) |
| maintenant | now | Maintenant, je comprends. (Now, I understand.) |
| actuellement | currently | Actuellement, je travaille ici. (Currently, I work here.) |
| en ce moment | at this moment | En ce moment, il pleut. (At this moment, it's raining.) |
| à présent | at present | À présent, tout va bien. (At present, everything is fine.) |
Examples
Aujourd'hui, il fait beau. (Today, the weather is nice.)
Maintenant, je dois partir. (Now, I have to leave.)
MAINTENANT vs ACTUELLEMENT
Different uses of "now":
Maintenant = right now (immediate)
Actuellement = currently (ongoing period)
Time Adverbs: Future
Adverbs referring to future time:
Future Time Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| demain | tomorrow | Demain, nous partons. (Tomorrow, we leave.) |
| après-demain | day after tomorrow | Après-demain, c'est dimanche. (Day after tomorrow is Sunday.) |
| bientôt | soon | Bientôt, les vacances! (Soon, vacation!) |
| plus tard | later | Plus tard, nous verrons. (Later, we'll see.) |
| prochainement | soon, shortly | Prochainement, un nouveau film. (Soon, a new movie.) |
| désormais | from now on | Désormais, je serai prudent. (From now on, I'll be careful.) |
Examples
Demain matin, j'ai rendez-vous. (Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment.)
Bientôt, nous serons en vacances. (Soon, we'll be on vacation.)
DEMAIN Expressions
Common phrases with "demain":
demain matin (tomorrow morning)
demain soir (tomorrow evening)
Place Adverbs: Here and There
Adverbs indicating proximity and distance:
Here/There Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| ici | here (close to speaker) | Ici, c'est ma maison. (Here is my house.) |
| là | there (near listener) | Là, c'est ton bureau. (There is your office.) |
| là-bas | over there (far away) | Là-bas, il y a un café. (Over there, there's a café.) |
| là-haut | up there | Là-haut, dans les montagnes. (Up there, in the mountains.) |
| là-dedans | in there | Là-dedans, il fait chaud. (In there, it's hot.) |
| par ici | this way | Par ici, s'il vous plaît. (This way, please.) |
Examples
Viens ici! (Come here!)
Regarde là-bas! (Look over there!)
ICI vs LÀ vs LÀ-BAS
Distance distinctions:
ICI = near speaker (here)
LÀ = near listener (there)
LÀ-BAS = far from both (over there)
Distance increases: ici → là → là-bas
Place Adverbs: Direction and Position
Adverbs indicating direction and spatial relationships:
Direction/Position Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| dehors | outside | Il fait froid dehors. (It's cold outside.) |
| dedans | inside | Reste dedans! (Stay inside!) |
| partout | everywhere | Il y a des fleurs partout. (There are flowers everywhere.) |
| nulle part | nowhere | Je ne trouve mes clés nulle part. (I can't find my keys anywhere.) |
| quelque part | somewhere | Il est quelque part dans la maison. (He's somewhere in the house.) |
| ailleurs | elsewhere | Cherchons ailleurs. (Let's look elsewhere.) |
Examples
Les enfants jouent dehors. (The children are playing outside.)
J'ai cherché partout. (I looked everywhere.)
PARTOUT vs NULLE PART
Opposite meanings:
PARTOUT = everywhere (positive)
NULLE PART = nowhere (negative)
Position in Sentences
Time and place adverbs have flexible positioning:
Examples
Hier, j'ai travaillé. (Yesterday, I worked.) - Beginning
J'ai travaillé hier. (I worked yesterday.) - End
Ici, nous sommes chez nous. (Here, we are at home.) - Beginning
Nous habitons ici. (We live here.) - End
Beginning Position (Emphasis)
For emphasis or contrast:
Hier, il pleuvait. Aujourd'hui, il fait beau.
Yesterday, it was raining. Today, it's nice.
End Position (Natural)
More natural, less emphatic:
Je travaille maintenant. (I'm working now.)
Il habite là-bas. (He lives over there.)
Compound Time Expressions
Combining time adverbs with other words:
Examples
hier soir (last night), demain matin (tomorrow morning)
avant-hier soir (night before last), après-demain matin (morning after tomorrow)
Time of Day Combinations
Adding specific times:
hier matin (yesterday morning)
demain après-midi (tomorrow afternoon)
Frequency and Duration Adverbs
Related adverbs expressing how often or how long:
Frequency/Duration Adverbs
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| toujours | always | Il est toujours en retard. (He's always late.) |
| souvent | often | Nous venons souvent ici. (We often come here.) |
| parfois | sometimes | Parfois, je lis le soir. (Sometimes, I read in the evening.) |
| jamais | never | Je ne viens jamais ici. (I never come here.) |
| longtemps | for a long time | J'ai attendu longtemps. (I waited for a long time.) |
Common Expressions and Idioms
Fixed expressions with time and place adverbs:
Examples
ici et là (here and there)
de temps en temps (from time to time)
par ici (this way), par là (that way)
d'ici là (by then), jusque-là (until then)
Directional Expressions
Giving directions:
Par ici, s'il vous plaît. (This way, please.)
Allez tout droit, puis tournez là-bas. (Go straight, then turn over there.)
Negation with Place Adverbs
Special negative constructions:
Examples
Je ne vais nulle part. (I'm not going anywhere.)
Il n'est jamais là. (He's never there.)
NULLE PART
Negative place adverb:
Je ne trouve mes clés nulle part. (I can't find my keys anywhere.)
Requires "ne" for complete negation
Common Mistakes with Time and Place Adverbs
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Position errors: Wrong placement in sentences
2. Confusion between similar adverbs: Mixing up meanings
3. Missing negation: Forgetting "ne" with negative adverbs
4. Overuse: Using too many adverbs in one sentence
Examples
❌ Je vais demain là → ✅ Demain, je vais là-bas
Wrong: awkward word order and missing -bas
❌ Actuellement, je viens → ✅ Maintenant, je viens
Wrong: "actuellement" means "currently" not "now"
❌ Je vais nulle part → ✅ Je ne vais nulle part
Wrong: missing "ne" with negative adverb
❌ Hier maintenant ici → ✅ Hier, j'étais ici
Wrong: too many adverbs, contradictory time references