French adverb placement follows rules. It is not the same as English. Adverbs can go before or after the verb. They can also start or end a sentence. Their place often depends on the type of adverb and the tense.

Short adverbs with simple tenses

Most short adverbs go right after the verb in simple tenses.

• Je parle souvent français.
  “I often speak French.”
• Il travaille toujours ici.
  “He always works here.”
• Nous mangeons beaucoup.
  “We eat a lot.”
• Vous lisez rarement.
  “You rarely read.”
• On arrive tard.
  “We are arriving late.”
• Ils voyagent beaucoup.
  “They travel a lot.”

Long adverbs and adverb phrases

Longer adverbs and phrases that tell how something happens usually go after the verb. They can also go at the start or end of the sentence for stress.

• Il conduit prudemment.
  “He drives carefully.”
• Elle explique clairement la leçon.
  “She explains the lesson clearly.”
• Heureusement, nous avons gagné.
  “Luckily, we won.”
• Je le ferai volontiers.
  “I will do it gladly.”

Adverbs of time and place

Adverbs that tell when or where something happens often go at the start or end of the sentence.

• Demain, je pars en voyage.
  “Tomorrow, I leave on a trip.”
• Je pars en voyage demain.
  “I leave on a trip tomorrow.”
• Ici, on parle français.
  “Here, we speak French.”
• Pose le livre là-bas.
  “Put the book over there.”
• Hier, il a plu.
  “Yesterday, it rained.”

Adverb placement in compound tenses

In compound tenses like the passé composé, short common adverbs go between the auxiliary verb and the past participle.

• J’ai bien mangé.
  “I ate well.”
• Il a déjà fini.
  “He has already finished.”
• Nous avons beaucoup voyagé.
  “We traveled a lot.”
• Vous avez trop bu.
  “You drank too much.”
• Elle a souvent prié dans cette église.
  “She often prayed in this church.”
• Ils sont vite partis.
  “They left quickly.”

Longer adverbs in compound tenses

Longer adverbs usually go after the past participle in compound tenses.

• Il a conduit prudemment.
  “He drove carefully.”
• Nous avons travaillé sérieusement.
  “We worked seriously.”
• Elle a préparé le repas soigneusement.
  “She prepared the meal carefully.”
• Ils ont répondu poliment.
  “They answered politely.”

Adverbs with infinitives

When there is an infinitive, short adverbs often go before it. Longer adverbs can go before or after.

• Il faut bien manger.
  “One must eat well.”
• Elle veut vite finir.
  “She wants to finish quickly.”
• J’espère vous revoir bientôt.
  “I hope to see you again soon.”
• Il cherche à comprendre vraiment.
  “He seeks to truly understand.”

Negation and adverbs

In negative sentences, the adverb usually goes after the first part of the negation and before the past participle in compound tenses.

• Je ne parle pas souvent.
  “I do not speak often.”
• Il n’a pas bien compris.
  “He did not understand well.”
• Nous ne voyageons jamais beaucoup.
  “We never travel a lot.”
• Elle n’a pas encore fini.
  “She has not finished yet.”

Special cases with short adverbs

Some short adverbs like aussi, peut-être, and ainsi can start a sentence for a special effect. When they do, the subject and verb often swap places.

• Peut-être viendra-t-il.
  “Perhaps he will come.”
• Ainsi parlait le professeur.
  “Thus spoke the teacher.”
• Aussi doit-on faire attention.
  “Therefore one must pay attention.”
• Elle cuisine toujours bien.
  “She always cooks well.”

Summary

• Short adverbs go after the verb in simple tenses.
• In compound tenses, short adverbs go between the auxiliary and the past participle.
• Long adverbs usually go after the verb or past participle.
• Adverbs of time and place can start or end a sentence.
• Adverbs in negative sentences come after the negation words.
• Some short adverbs can start a sentence and cause subject-verb inversion.