Learn French: Mon grand-père marche très lentement. - My grandfather walks very slowly.

Mon grand-père marche très lentement.

My grandfather walks very slowly.

Breakdown of Mon grand-père marche très lentement.

Questions & Answers about Mon grand-père marche très lentement.

Why do we use très in this sentence instead of beaucoup?

We use très (very) because it describes the adverb lentement (slowly). You use très to strengthen adjectives and adverbs. If you wanted to say your grandfather walks a lot, you would use beaucoup with the verb instead: Mon grand-père marche beaucoup.

Can I say Mon grand-père marche beaucoup lentement?

No, you cannot use beaucoup directly with an adjective or adverb. To say someone does something very slowly, you must always use très lentement.

How is the word lentement formed?

It is built from the adjective lent (slow). In French, adding -ement to an adjective is exactly like adding -ly in English to create a word that describes how something is done. So, lentement translates to slowly.

Is the -ent ending on lentement silent?

No, it is pronounced with a nasal sound! A common trap for beginners is confusing this with the -ent ending on plural verbs (like ils marchent), which is totally silent. Because lentement is an adverb and not a verb, the ending is spoken out loud.