ABSTRACT
J’ai entendu un bruit dehors I heard a noise outside (dehors modifi es just entendre un bruit; it indicates where the noise was, not where the person hearing it was)
Soudain j’ai entendu un bruit Suddenly I heard a noise (soudain modifi es the sentence and expresses the suddenness of the whole event)
adjective Most adverbs ending in - ment are formed from the feminine form of a corre sponding adjective:
Adjective
affreux clair distinct doux mou naturel public professionnel sec sûr vif
awful clear distinct gentle soft natural public professional dry sure alive
Feminine
affreuse claire distincte douce molle naturelle publique professionnelle sèche sûre vive
awful clear distinct gentle soft natural public professional dry sure alive
Adverb
affreusement awfully clairement clearly distinctement distinctly doucement gently mollement softly naturellement naturally publiquement publicly professionnellement professionally sèchement drily sûrement surely vivement lively
Exception:
gentil kind gentille kind gentiment kindly
Although - ment corresponds broadly to English ‘- ly’, French is much less pro ductive than English. Often English ‘-ly’ adverbs must be translated by phrases (see 5.5).
