French Phrases Used as Adverbs
Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Hichem in Grammar, Vocabulary
Whether they come as words or as phrases, the function of French adverbs always remains to modify la signification (the meaning) of words, phrases, and sentences!
Take this example:
La passe faite par Lionel Messi à son coéquipier était merveilleusement jolie
(The pass made by Lionel Messi to his team-mate was marvelously beautiful)
Here the adverb merveilleusement is a word, and it serves to modify the adjective jolie.
In today’s post, we’ll go through some French adverbs which come as phrases, so that you can recognize them whenever you encounter them in a given sentence:
- Au fur et à mesure: As one goes along
- Au minimum: At least
- Au maximum: At the utmost
- À côté: Beside
- A fortioti: Even more so
- À peu près: Pretty much
- À part: Separately
- À plus forte raison: Even more so
- A priori: A priori (Latin)
- À temps: In time
- À tue-tête: At the top of one’s lungs
- Ça et là: Here and there
- Côte à côte: Side by side
- D’arrache-pied: Flat out (to work)
- De bonne heure: Early
- D’emblée: Straightaway, from the outset
- D’habitude: Usually
- D’ores et déjà: Already
- De suite: At once
- De temps en temps: From time to time
- En bas: Down, downstairs
- En haut: Up, upstairs
- En arrière: Towards the back
- En avant: Towards the front
- En amont: Upstream
- En aval: Downstream
- En avance: Early in time
- En dehors: Outside
- En catimini: Secretly
- En général: In general
- En particulier: In particular
- En vain: In vain
- En définitive: Finally
- Et ainsi de suite: And so on
- Grosso modo: More or less (Latin)
- In extremis: In extremis (Latin), at the last moment
- N’importe qui: Anyone
- N’importe comment: Anyhow
- N’importe quand: Anytime
- N’importe quoi: Anything
- Par ailleurs: In addition
- Par contre: On the other hand
- Petit à petit: Little by little
- Sans cesse: Ceaselessly
- Sur-le-champ: Immediately
- Tout à fait: Completely
- Tout à l’heure: Later
- Tout d’un coup: All of a sudden
- Tout de suite: At once, immediately
- Tout de go: Straight out
- Vaille que vaille: Somehow
- Vice versa: Vice versa (Latin)
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9 Responses to “French Phrases Used as Adverbs”
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Are “en haut” and “en bas” switched on this list?
What has replaced “vachement”? I understand that it has gone out of use, but no one can tell me exactly what IS being said. Merci!
are the en bas and en haut meanings switched or is that just me?? Love some of these, seen them but not been completely sure. Thank you!
C`est parfait. Merci!
Great list, a few new ones for me. Thanks.
à peu pres= more or less
En bas. Downstairs.En haut. Upstairs. N’est-ce pas?
Bonjour les amis! Merci for noticing that one, they are now back in the right order!
phew! thank you! ;P