circonstance

Circonstance is a term used in French grammar to designate an element that indicates the circumstances under which an action or state occurs. In traditional grammars, these elements are called complemented circonstanciels, or commonly, complements circonstanciels (CC). They provide contextual information about time, place, manner, cause, purpose, condition, concession, consequence, and related notions.

Circonstances can take several forms. They are most often expressed as groups prépositionnels (for example, dans la forêt, avec enthousiasme), but they can also be adverbial words (hier, bientôt) or propositions subordonnées (quand il pleut, si nécessaire). Common categories include: temps (when), lieu (where), manière (how), cause (why), but (for what purpose), condition, concession, et instrument ou moyen. Depending on the sentence, multiple circonstants can co-exist and be distributed around the verb according to emphasis or style.

Function et placement are central to their use. A circonstance does not act as a subject, an object, or a predicate attribute; instead, it complements the verb phrase by specifying circumstances of the action or state. They are relatively flexible: they may appear before or after the verb and can often be moved to the beginning of the clause for emphasis, without changing core meaning. When a sentence includes several circonstants, their order can reflect emphasis, clarity, or rhythm.

Etymology and terminology: the term derives from Latin circumstantiā, related to surrounding conditions. In modern linguistics, circonstance is commonly treated as a broad category of adverbial information, sometimes overlapping with the notion of a group adverbial (groupe adverbial) or a CC in French grammar textbooks.