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Adverb position: placing short time words

When you speak English, you probably put time or frequency adverbs right before the verb. You might say that you always drink tea, or you already finished your work. If you translate this word order directly into French, you will hit a major grammar trap.

In French, you must not separate the subject and the conjugated verb. Short time and frequency adverbs like souvent, toujours, and déjà have a different natural home in the sentence.

Word list
fréquemmentA1 often il voyage fréquemment = he frequently travels jamaisA1 never je n'ai jamais vu = I have never seen parfoisA1 sometimes elle lit parfois = she sometimes reads souventA1 often il a souvent voyagé = he often traveled toujoursA1 always elle a toujours aimé = she always loved bientôtA2 soon il va bientôt pleuvoir = it will soon rain déjàA2 already j'ai déjà vu ce film = I have already seen this film encoreA2 still il pleut encore = it is still raining encoreA2 again il a encore pleuré = he cried again enfinA2 finally il a enfin compris = he finally understood quelquefoisA2 sometimes je vais quelquefois au cinéma = I sometimes go to the cinema rarementA2 rarely nous sortons rarement = we rarely go out aussitôtB1 immediately elle a aussitôt répondu = she immediately replied
Simple tenses

In simple tenses, such as the present tense, these short adverbs generally go right after the conjugated verb. They never slip between the subject and the verb.

Elle mange souvent au restaurant.
(She often eats at restaurants.)
Il est toujours en retard.
(He is always late.)
Nous lisons parfois le journal.
(We sometimes read the newspaper.)
Compound tenses

When using a compound tense like the passé composé, the sentence has a helper verb and a past participle. Short adverbs such as déjà, rarement, and encore step right into the middle. They sit between the helper verb and the past participle.

J'ai déjà fini mes devoirs.
(I have already finished my homework.)
Vous avez rarement voyagé l'année dernière.
(You rarely traveled last year.)
Elles sont encore sorties.
(They went out again.)
Flexibility and negation

The word jamais follows the exact same placement rules. It simply replaces the word pas in negative sentences, tucking in right after the conjugated verb.

Je ne mange jamais de viande.
(I never eat meat.)

It is also worth noting that some adverbs, like parfois, can be placed at the very beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis. The absolute rule is just to avoid putting them between the subject and the verb.

Summary

To keep your French sounding natural, place short time and frequency adverbs after the conjugated verb. In compound tenses, tuck them between the helper verb and the past participle. Above all, keep your subject and verb firmly attached to each other.