In Spanish, adverbs can modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. They usually answer questions such as how? how often? how long? when? where? etc.
A lot of Spanish adverbs have the ending “-mente,” e.g., “rápidamente” (quickly), “fuertemente” (strongly), etc. This is, more or less, similar to the ending “-ly” in English. Nevertheless, there are many other adverbs and adverbial phrases that do not follow this simple rule. We will attempt to classify the most common adverbs into some categories for easier memorization.
Forming Adverbs in Spanish
Many adverbs in Spanish can be formed by simply adding “-mente” to the feminine singular adjective. Here are some examples:
| Adverb in English | Masculine singular adjective | Feminine singular adjective | Adverb in Spanish |
| slowly | lento | lenta | lentamente |
| quickly | rápido | rápida | rápidamente |
| easily | fácil | fácil | fácilmente |
| quietly | tranquilo | tranquila | tranquilamente |
| exactly | exacto | exacta | exactamente |
| normally | normal | normal | normalmente |
| relatively | relativo | relativa | relativamente |
| automatically | automático | automática | automáticamente |
| lightly | ligero | ligera | ligeramente |
| generally | general | general | generalmente |
| originally | original | original | originalmente |
| partially | parcial | parcial | parcialmente |
| substantially | sustancial | sustancial | sustancialmente |
| literally | literal | literal | literalmente |
A commonly used adverb formed this way is “recientemente,” which means “recently,” and is often abbreviated as “recién.”
| Yo recién llegué. | I recently arrived. |
| el recién nacido | the newly born |
Forming Adverbial Phrases
Not all adverbs in Spanish are formed by adding the “-mente” ending, similar to the fact that not all English adverbs are formed by adding “-ly” to the corresponding adjective. Some other ways of forming adverbs, especially adverbs of manner, are summarized with this example:
| “de manera” + feminine adjective | Él me habló de manera respetuosa. |
| “de modo” + masculine adjective | Él me habló de modo respetuoso. |
| “con” or “sin” + noun | Él me habló con respeto. |
All three sentences above can be translated as “He spoke to me respectfully.” The first two form the adverb from the corresponding adjective, while the third forms the adverb from the corresponding noun. The word “con” means “with,” while “sin” means “without.” Thus, “Él me habló sin respeto” is translated as “He spoke to me disrespectfully.”
Next: The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” and “Veces”
Other lessons in Level III:
Level III – Elementary
3. The Verb “to Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conocer”
4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns
7. Special Uses of “Haber” & “Tener”
8. Telling Time & Describing The Weather
9.1. The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” and “Veces”
