Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn the French adverbs of frequency: toujours, jamais, souvent, and rarement. Discover their usage, sentence placement, and examples to express how often actions occur. Understand key differences compared to English frequency adverbs to improve your French fluency.
  1. The adverb is placed after the conjugated verb.
Adverbe (Adverb)Exemple (Example)
Toujours (Always)Je me couche toujours à 22h.  (I always go to bed at 10 p.m.)
Souvent (Often)Tu te réveilles souvent avant ta sœur.  (You often wake up before your sister.)
Rarement (Rarely)Il se lave rarement les cheveux après le sport.  (He rarely washes his hair after sport.)
Jamais (Never)Ils se réveillent jamais en même temps.  (They never wake up at the same time.)

Exercise 1: Les adverbes de fréquence: "Toujours, Jamais, Souvent, Rarement"

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

souvent, jamais, rarement, toujours

1. A chaque fois:
Mes enfants mangent ... à la même heure.
(My children always eat at the same time.)
2. 0 fois:
Je vais ... au marché le lundi.
(I never go to the market on Mondays.)
3. Plusieurs fois:
Nous nous lavons ... après le sport.
(We often wash ourselves after sport.)
4. Plusieurs fois:
Tu te réveilles ... avant le petit-déjeuner.
(You often wake up before breakfast.)
5. 0 fois:
Je me réveille ... en retard.
(I never wake up late.)
6. Très peu de fois:
Ils rentrent ... avant le dîner.
(They rarely come home before dinner.)
7. 0 fois:
Elle se couche ... tôt le dimanche.
(She never goes to bed early on Sundays.)
8. Très peu de fois:
On rentre ... avant huit heures.
(We rarely get home before eight o'clock.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Je me réveille ___ à 7 heures du matin.

(I wake up ___ at 7 in the morning.)

2. Tu te douches ___ avant de prendre le petit-déjeuner.

(You shower ___ before having breakfast.)

3. Il ne se lave ___ après le déjeuner.

(He never washes ___ after lunch.)

4. Nous rangeons ___ notre chambre avant midi.

(We tidy ___ our room before noon.)

5. Vous vous couchez ___ après 23 heures.

(You go to bed ___ after 11 p.m.)

6. Ils se coiffent ___ avant de partir.

(They do their hair ___ before leaving.)

Understanding Frequency Adverbs in French: Toujours, Jamais, Souvent, Rarement

In this lesson, you will learn about four common French adverbs of frequency that help express how often an action occurs: toujours (always), jamais (never), souvent (often), and rarement (rarely). These adverbs are essential for speaking about daily routines, habits, and frequency with clarity and precision.

Usage and Position in a Sentence

French frequency adverbs typically follow the conjugated verb directly. For instance, in the sentence Je me couche toujours à 22h. (I always go to bed at 10 PM), toujours comes immediately after the verb me couche. Mastering their placement helps ensure your sentences sound natural.

Examples of Frequency Adverbs

  • Toujours – always: Je me réveille toujours à 7 heures du matin.
  • Souvent – often: Tu te douches souvent avant de prendre le petit-déjeuner.
  • Rarement – rarely: Nous rangeons rarement notre chambre avant midi.
  • Jamais – never: Il ne se lave jamais après le déjeuner.

Notes on Negation and Frequency

Notice how jamais is frequently used with negation to indicate “never.” Unlike English, where 'never' is standalone, in French you place jamais after the verb and include the negative particle ne (which can be omitted in informal speech).

Comparing French and English Frequency Adverbs

While French adverbs like toujours and souvent closely match their English counterparts “always” and “often,” placement within the sentence differs. English usually places frequency adverbs before the main verb, whereas French places them after the conjugated verb. For example, English: "I always wake up early." French: "Je me réveille toujours tôt." This distinction is important for forming grammatically correct sentences.

Useful phrases to remember:

  • Toujours – always
  • Jamais – never (used with negation)
  • Souvent – often
  • Rarement – rarely

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Donia Ben Salem

Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 29/05/2025 15:35