⏰ French Basic Vocabulary: Adverbs of Time (With Examples)

If you want to talk about when something happens in French, you need to learn the adverbs of time (les adverbes de temps). These small but powerful words let you say things like today, yesterday, tomorrow, always, never.

This guide will introduce the most common French adverbs of time, organized by categories, with examples so you can start using them right away.

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1. Adverbs for the Present

• aujourd’hui → today

• maintenant → now

• en ce moment → at the moment

• tout de suite → right away

Examples:

• Je travaille aujourd’hui. → I’m working today.

• Fais-le maintenant. → Do it now.

• En ce moment, j’apprends le français. → I’m learning French at the moment.

• J’arrive tout de suite. → I’m coming right away.

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2. Adverbs for the Past

• hier → yesterday

• avant-hier → the day before yesterday

• jadis / autrefois → in the past, long ago

• déjà → already

• il y a ( + time ) → ago

Examples:

• Hier, nous sommes allés au cinéma. → Yesterday we went to the movies.

• Avant-hier, j’étais malade. → The day before yesterday I was sick.

• J’ai déjà vu ce film. → I have already seen this movie.

• Il y a deux ans, j’habitais à Lyon. → Two years ago, I lived in Lyon.

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3. Adverbs for the Future

• demain → tomorrow

• après-demain → the day after tomorrow

• bientôt → soon

• tout à l’heure → later

• plus tard → later

Examples:

• Je partirai demain. → I will leave tomorrow.

• Après-demain, nous aurons un examen. → The day after tomorrow we’ll have an exam.

• Je vais te voir bientôt. → I’m going to see you soon.

• On se parle plus tard. → We’ll talk later.

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4. Adverbs of Frequency

• toujours → always

• souvent → often

• parfois / quelquefois → sometimes

• rarement → rarely

• jamais → never

Examples:

• Je vais toujours au marché le samedi. → I always go to the market on Saturdays.

• Elle lit souvent avant de dormir. → She often reads before sleeping.

• Parfois, je me lève tôt. → Sometimes I get up early.

• Il ne mange jamais de viande. → He never eats meat.

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5. Adverbs of Duration

• longtemps → for a long time

• brièvement → briefly

• encore → still / again

• déjà → already

Examples:

• Nous avons parlé longtemps. → We talked for a long time.

• Attends encore un peu. → Wait a little longer.

• Elle est déjà partie. → She has already left.

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✅ Quick Recap

• Present: aujourd’hui, maintenant, en ce moment, tout de suite

• Past: hier, avant-hier, déjà, il y a…

• Future: demain, bientôt, après-demain, plus tard

• Frequency: toujours, souvent, parfois, rarement, jamais

• Duration: longtemps, encore, déjà

👉 These adverbs are essential for building sentences about when something happens.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

Translate into French using the correct adverb of time:

1. I’m eating now.

2. They will come tomorrow.

3. We always speak French in class.

4. She never drinks coffee.

5. Two days ago, I was tired.

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Conclusion

Learning French adverbs of time is key to daily communication. They help you express when events happen and how often. By practicing words like aujourd’hui, demain, hier, toujours, jamais, you’ll sound more fluent and natural in French.

👉 Pro tip: Start adding at least one adverb of time in every French sentence you practice.

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TAGS:

• French adverbs of time
• Basic French vocabulary
• French adverbs with examples
• How to say today, tomorrow, yesterday in French
• French grammar for beginners