Kilo Lingo
French grammar Part of Chapter 13

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (20 questions)

French Adverbs of Manner: Forming -ment Adverbs

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

An adverb of manner says how something is done: slowly, gently, well. English adds -ly; French adds -, and it adds it to the feminine adjective, not the masculine.

the feminine ending-ment, or the form that replaces itWhat do the colours mean?
AdjectiveRuleAdverbEnglish
+ -slowly
vowel: + -truly
-ant: -ammentcourammentfluently
-ent: -emmentobviously
+ -émentprecisely
irregularwell

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Feminine + -ment

Take the feminine form of the adjective, then add -.

lent, lente, lentement - slowly
MasculineFeminineAdverbEnglish
slowly
luckily
gently
only
frankly
naturally
  • . - He speaks slowly.
  • , . - Luckily, the weather is nice.
  • , . - Speak more gently, please.

Going through the feminine is what puts the consonant before -: the t of , the c of . Build it on the masculine and you get forms that do not exist (lentment). The feminines themselves are on French adjective agreement.

Vowel endings: masculine + -ment

If the masculine adjective already ends in a vowel, add - straight to it. No feminine e.

AdjectiveAdverbEnglish
truly
polimentpolitely
absolutely
jolimentprettily
  • . - It's really good.
  • poliment. - He answered politely.
  • . - You're absolutely right.

So it is , never vraiement. A rare few keep a trace of the e, like gaiement (cheerfully), but you will meet them one at a time.

-ant and -ent: -amment, -emment

-ment or the form that replaces itWhat do the colours mean?

Adjectives in -ant swap it for -amment; adjectives in -ent swap it for -emment.

évident becomes évidemment - obviously
AdjectiveAdverbEnglish
courammentfluently
constantly
obviously
recently
patiemmentpatiently
intelligemmentintelligently
  • couramment. - She speaks English fluently.
  • , . - Obviously, she was right.

One everyday exception: , a single syllable, ends in -ent but follows the feminine rule, giving .

The -ément group

A small set link to - with an é: the e of the feminine becomes é (, ). Which adjectives do it has to be learnt as they come, but the -ément ending is the signal.

AdjectiveAdverbEnglish
precisely
enormously
deeply
  • . - That's precisely the problem.
  • . - He has changed enormously.

Bien, mal, vite

-ment or the form that replaces itWhat do the colours mean?

The three commonest adverbs of manner do not use - at all.

AdjectiveAdverbEnglish
(good)well
(bad)badly
(fast)quickly, fast
  • . - He sings well.
  • . - She sleeps badly.
  • ! - Come quickly!

against is English good against well:

  • . - It's good.
  • . - He works well.

exists, but is the everyday word.

Where the adverb goes

In a simple tense, the adverb follows the verb.

  • . - He speaks slowly.
  • . - She works well.

In the , short common adverbs sit between and the participle; most longer -ment adverbs come after the participle.

Subject
avoir
Adverb
Participle
Adverb
empty
empty
J’
empty
empty
poliment
  • . - He ate well.
  • . - I completely forgot.
  • poliment. - He answered politely.

A few very common -ment adverbs (, ) usually go inside, like the short ones.

Common mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
lentmentbuild on the :
vraiementa vowel ending takes no e
évidamment-ent gives -emment
. .how he sings: the adverb
mauvaisement has the adverb

What to do next

  1. Make adverbs from five adjectives you know, saying the feminine first.
  2. Say how you speak French today, with one adverb.
  3. Read comparing adverbs for and .

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the adverb. Start from the feminine, unless the adjective ends in a vowel.

  1. doux (gentle)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. seul (alone, only)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. vrai (true)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. absolu (absolute)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. évident (obvious)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/7

How is each adverb built?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose the right adverb.

  1. Elle parle anglais . (fluently)

  2. , il ne pleut pas. (luckily)

  3. Il travaille . (well)

  4. Il conduit . (badly)

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form an adverb of manner in French?
Start from the feminine form of the adjective and add -ment. Lent (slow) gives the feminine , then (slowly). gives , then (luckily). gives , then (gently). Adjectives that already end in a vowel use the masculine ( gives ), and the -ant / -ent adjectives follow the -amment / -emment pattern.
Why is it '' and not 'vraiement'?
Because an adjective whose masculine ends in a vowel adds -ment straight to the masculine, with no feminine -e: gives (truly), gives poliment (politely), gives (absolutely). A rare few keep a trace of the e, like gaiement (cheerfully).
What are the irregular French adverbs that don't use -ment?
The three everyday ones: (well) is the adverb of (good), (badly) goes with (bad), and (quickly, fast) has no -ment form of its own. exists, but is the everyday word. Learn these three as fixed items.
Do -amment and -emment sound different?
No. Both are said the same way, roughly 'a-mahn', so and rhyme. You cannot spell them by ear: the adjective decides. An adjective in -ant gives -amment (, couramment) and one in -ent gives -emment (, ).
Where does the adverb go in a French sentence?
In a simple tense, after the verb: (he speaks slowly). In the , short common adverbs like , , and usually go between and the participle ( a ), while most longer -ment adverbs follow the participle ( a poliment).