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Position of Adverbs

Although the position of adverbs is not absolutely fixed and can vary for stylistic reasons, some general rules apply:

An adverb modifying a verb, in the present tense, is placed directly after the verb:

Nous marchons rapidement.
(We are walking fast.)

In compound tenses, the position of the adverb varies. Most adverbs follow the past participle:

Nous sommes partis immédiatement.
(We left immediately.)

Some common adverbs such as bien (well), mal (badly), souvent (often), toujours (always), déjà (already), and encore (again), as well as adverbs of quantity, usually precede the past participle. This is particularly true for adverbs of time and place:

Nous avons beaucoup mangé au restaurant.
(We ate a lot at the restaurant.)

Nous nous sommes souvent vus.
(We often saw each other.)

Adverbs modifying an adjective or another adverb generally precede:

Ce roman est vraiment fascinant.
(This novel is really fascinating.)

Some adverbs, when placed at the beginning of a sentence, may change their meaning and/or require a change in word order.

Compare:

Ma mère a peut-être raison. (My mother may be right.)
Peut-être ma mère a-t-elle raison. (My mother may be right.)