Some French adverbs end in -ément
As we learned previously, to form regular adverbs in French, you use the feminine form of the matching adjective, to which you add -ment (See Forming regular adverbs with "-ment" in French (French Adverbs)). However, a small number of adverbs end in -ément.
Adverbs ending in -ément in French
Unfortunately for us here, there is no general rule to explain these exceptions (except maybe that it helps with pronunciation), so you just need to learn them.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of the most common and therefore useful of these adverbs:
| Masculine adjective | Feminine adjective | Adverb | English |
| aveugle | aveugle | aveuglément | blindly |
| commun | commune | communément | commonly |
|
confus |
confuse | confusément | confusingly, unclearly |
| énorme | énorme | énormément | enormously / very much |
| intense | intense | intensément | intensely |
| précis | précise | précisément | precisely |
| profond | profonde | profondément | deeply / soundly |
| uniforme | uniforme | uniformément | uniformly |
Now listen to the following examples:
C'est précisément ce que je pensais !That's precisely what I was thinking!
Mon fils dormait profondément.My son was sleeping soundly.
Le conférencier s'exprimait confusément. The lecturer expressed himself unclearly.
Il a réussi à peindre cette lampe uniformément.He managed to paint this lamp uniformly.
Cette expression est communément employée dans le sud de la France.This expression is commonly used in the south of France.
Il me regardait intensément.He was looking at me intensely.
Je l'aime énormément. I love him very much.
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