120 Common French Adverbs to Make Your French Sound More Interesting
Looking for a handy list of the most commonly-used French adverbs? Here are 120 entries covering French adverbs and related expressions, with English translations.
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Quick ReviewCommon French AdverbsSee Also:Pin this!Here are some FAQs about Common French AdverbsLooking for a list of the most common French adverbs? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, we list 120 useful entries, mainly adverbs, together with a few related words and expressions. Entries that are prepositions or conjunctions are labeled accordingly.
Quick Review
If you need a bit more of background on French adverbs, head over to this Simple Guide to French Adverbs to review what adverbs are, the different types, how they are formed, and their placement in a sentence.
Common French Adverbs
French Adverbs that Start with A
- absolumentabsolutely
- actuellementcurrently
- ailleurselsewhere
- alorsso
- ainsithus; so
- aprèsafter
- assezquite, fairly
- aujourd’huitoday
- aussias; as well
- aussitôtimmediately
- autantas much
- autrefoisin the old days
- autrementdifferently
- autouraround
- avantbefore
- avant-hieron the day before yesterday
- avecwith (preposition, included here as a related word)
French Adverbs that Start with B
- beaucoupa lot
- baslow
- bienwell
- bientôtsoon
- brusquementabruptly
French Adverbs that Start with C
- cependantnonetheless
- certesadmittedly
- certainementcertainly
- cihere
- combienhow much/many
- commeas (conjunction); how (exclamative adverb)
- commenthow
- complètementcompletely
French Adverbs that Start with D
- d’abordfirst
- davantagemore
- deboutstanding
- dehorsoutside
- déjàalready
- delàbeyond
- demaintomorrow
- depuissince
- dernièrementlately
- désormaisfrom now on, henceforth
- dessuson top / above
- devantin front of
- doucementgently / softly / slowly
French Adverbs that Start with E
- égalementalso / equally
- encoreagain/still
- enfinfinally; eventually
- ensembletogether
- ensuitenext, then
- énormémentenormously
- environabout
French Adverbs that Start with F
French Adverbs that Start with G
French Adverbs that Start with H
- hauthigh
- heureusementfortunately
- hieryesterday
French Adverbs that Start with I
French Adverb that Starts with J
- jamaisnever
French Adverbs that Start with L
- làthere
- là-basover there
- là-dedansin here, in there
- là-dessuson it / on that; about it / about that
- largementgreatly; well
- légèrementlightly; slightly
- lentementslowly
- loinfar
- longtempsfor a long time
- lorsthen / at that time (literary; usually found in expressions such as dès lors)
- lors deduring / at the time of (prepositional phrase)
French Adverb that Start with M
- maintenantnow
- malpoorly; badly
- mêmeeven
- moinsless
- mieuxbetter
French Adverbs that Start with N
- naturellementnaturally
- nenot
- nonno; not
French Adverb that Starts with O
- ouiyes
French Adverbs that Start with P
- parfoissometimes
- partouteverywhere
- pasnot
- parfaitementperfectly
- peufew, little
- peut-êtreperhaps
- plutôtrather
- plusmore, ___-er
- pointnot / not at all (ne… point; literary or formal)
- pourquoiwhy
- pourtantyet
- précédemmentpreviously
- précisémentprecisely
- premièrementfirstly
- prèsnear
- presquenearly
- profondémentprofoundly
- puisthen
French Adverbs that Start with Q
French Adverbs that Start with R
French Adverbs that Start with S
- seulementonly
- sérieusementseriously
- simplementsimply
- sias/so
- soudainsuddenly
- souventoften
- surtoutespecially
French Adverbs that Start with T
- tantso much
- tantôtsoon / later / sometimes, depending on context
- tardlate
- tellementso (much)
- tôtearly
- toujoursalways
- toutcompletely / entirely (adverbial use)
- trèsvery
- troptoo much
French Adverbs that Start with V
See Also:
For more articles like this, check out the following.
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Hope this French adverbs list will help you expand your vocabulary.
Your turn
Try writing a few sentences of your own using the adverbs in the list above.
Writing something longer? Pair these adverbs with our French connectors for essays and formal writing.
Here are some FAQs about Common French Adverbs
Where do adverbs go in French?
Many adverbs follow the conjugated verb in a simple tense: Il parle lentement. In compound tenses, short common adverbs often come between the auxiliary and participle: Il a bien travaillé. An adverb modifying an adjective or another adverb usually precedes it: très heureux, assez vite.
Where do you put adverbs in French?
Placement depends on the adverb and what it modifies. Compare Il travaille beaucoup, Il a beaucoup travaillé, and Il est très gentil.
How are most French adverbs formed?
Many adverbs use the feminine adjective form plus -ment: lente → lentement. Adjectives ending in -i or -u often take -ment directly: poli → poliment, absolu → absolument. Common patterns also include -ant → -amment and -ent → -emment: constant → constamment, prudent → prudemment. There are exceptions, so check each form.
Where do you put time in a French sentence with time adverbs?
Time adverbs can occur in several positions: Demain, je pars; Je pars demain; Je suis déjà parti.
Where do adverbs go in French in the negative form?
Placement in a negative sentence depends on the adverb and the construction. Compare Je ne comprends pas bien (I do not understand well) and Je ne suis jamais allé à Paris (I have never been to Paris). Jamais replaces pas in the second example.
