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Grammar
Objective: Form adverbs of manner from adjectives using the feminine stem and the -ment suffix, and identify the irregular adverbs bien, mal, and vite.
| Adjective (masc.) | Feminine form | Adverb | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lent | lente | lentement | slowly |
| heureux | heureuse | heureusement | happily |
| vif | vive | vivement | sharply |
| facile | facile | facilement | easily |
| récent | récente | récemment | recently |
| courant | courante | couramment | fluently |
The adverb is built on the feminine form of the adjective, lente, so the -e appears before -ment in lentement.
The adjective joyeux has the feminine form joyeuse, and the suffix -ment attaches to that full feminine stem.
The adverb lentement is formed from the feminine lente. It modifies the verb parle, not a noun.
The adjective patient drops -ent and adds -emment. Writing patientement is a common mistake.
Régulier becomes régulière, then régulièrement. The feminine stem supplies the base for the suffix.
Joyeux becomes joyeuse, then joyeusement. The masculine ending -eux shifts to -euse before the suffix is attached.
Vite is an invariable adverb meaning quickly. It never changes for gender or number and has no -ment form of its own.
6 exercises · about 9 minutes
Adjectives ending in -ent drop those letters and add -emment, so récent produces récemment and never récentement.
Bon has the irregular adverb bien, while bonnement carries an unrelated meaning of naively or simply.
Mal is the irregular adverb for mauvais, just as bien is the irregular adverb for bon.
Mieux is the irregular adverb meaning better. Unlike the adjective meilleur, it never agrees and never changes form.
Attentif becomes attentive, then attentivement. The masculine ending -if shifts to -ive before the suffix is attached.