Français — Adverbs of place

French uses invariable adverbs to say where something is or happens: ici, là, là-bas, partout, ailleurs, dedans, dehors, en haut, en bas. Unlike prepositions, they stand alone without a following noun.

How it works

✓ Rule

The adverb usually follows the verb: Viens ici ! (Come here!), Reste là (Stay there), Il habite là-bas (He lives over there), On joue dehors (We play outside). It never changes form and takes no article or preposition.

Examples

Common adverbs of place
Adverb	Meaning	Example
ici	here (near the speaker)	Viens ici !
là	there (a bit further)	Pose-le là.
là-bas	over there (far away)	Il habite là-bas.
partout	everywhere	Il y a du sable partout.
ailleurs	elsewhere	Cherchons ailleurs.
dessus / dessous	on top / underneath	Le prix est écrit dessus.
dedans / dehors	inside / outside	Le chat est resté dehors.
en haut / en bas	up, upstairs / down, downstairs	Ma chambre est en haut.

Good to know

⚠ Note

Don't confuse these adverbs with the prepositions sur, sous, dans: the adverb stands alone (Le livre est dessus), while the preposition needs a noun (Le livre est sur la table). Likewise dedans/dehors match dans/hors de. In everyday speech, là often replaces ici, so Il est là usually just means "He's here."