Accidentellement

Accidentellement is a French adverb meaning “by accident” or “accidentally.” It indicates that an action happened without the intention of the subject and is used to describe how something occurred rather than to characterize the event itself. The word is common in both spoken and written French and can modify verbs directly or appear later in a sentence for emphasis.

Etymology and formation: Accidentellement is derived from the adjective accidentel, meaning incidental or accidental. The adverb is formed by adding the suffix -ment to accidentel, yielding accidentellement. The spelling includes a double l before the -ement, a pattern that arises when turning certain adjectives ending in -el into adverbs.

Usage and nuances: In practice, accidentellement is often placed after the verb it modifies, for example: Il a accidentellement oublié ses clés. It can also appear at the end of a clause: Les clés ont été oubliées accidentellement. While synonyms such as par hasard (by chance) or involontairement (involuntarily) exist, they carry different nuances: par hasard emphasizes chance, while involontairement stresses lack of intent. Accidentellement tends to describe the manner of an action rather than its moral valence.

See also: accident (noun); accidentel (adjective). The term is primarily used in standard French and appears in various registers, from everyday speech to formal writing.