In Portuguese, 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 Portuguese adverbs have the ending “-mente,” e.g., “rapidamente” (quickly), “fortemente” (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 an Adverb
Many adverbs in Portuguese are 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 Portuguese |
| slowly | lento | lenta | lentamente |
| quickly | rápido | rápida | rapidamente |
| easily | fácil | fácil | facilmente |
| exactly | exato | exata | exatamente |
| normally | normal | normal | normalmente |
| relatively | relativo | relativa | relativamente |
| automatically | automático | automática | automaticamente |
| generally | geral | geral | geralmente |
| originally | original | original | originalmente |
| partially | parcial | parcial | parcialmente |
| substantially | substancial | substancial | substancialmente |
| literally | literal | literal | literalmente |
A commonly used adverb formed this way is “recentemente,” which means “recently,” and is sometimes abbreviated as “recém.”
| Eu recém cheguei. | I recently arrived. |
| o recém-nascido | the newly born |
Not all adverbs in Portuguese 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 | Ele falou comigo de maneira respeitosa. |
| “com” or “sem” + noun | Ele falou comigo com respeito. |
The two sentences above can be translated as “He spoke to me respectfully.” The first forms the adverb from the corresponding adjective, while the third forms the adverb from the corresponding noun. The word “com” means “with,” while “sem” means “without.” Thus, “Ele falou comigo sem respeito” is translated as “He spoke to me disrespectfully.”
The Adverb “Tão”
Another common adverb in Portuguese is “tão,” which is often translated as “such” or “so,” for example:
| Ele é um gato tão fofo! | He is such a pretty cat. |
| Esse gato é tão fofo! | This cat is so pretty. |
The Adverb “Também”
The adverb “também” is used to express agreement or disagreement with a statement. For example:
| A: Eu falo português. B: Eu também. | A: I speak Portuguese. B: Me too. |
| A: Eu não falo português. B: Eu também não. | A: I don’t speak Portuguese. B: Me neither. |
In the negative statement, one could also use “Eu tampouco” instead of “Eu também não.”
To show disagreement with affirmative and negative statements, we simply use “não” (no) and “sim” (yes), respectively, for example:
| A: Eu falo português. B: Eu não. | A: I speak Portuguese. B: I don’t. |
| A: Eu não falo português. B: Eu sim. | A: I don’t speak Portuguese. B: I do. |
Adverbial Phrases with “Vez” and “Vezes”
The feminine noun “vez” and its plural “vezes” are used to describe the frequency of occurrence. The English equivalents are often “time,” and its plural “times,” e.g., “how many times did you win?” Here is a list of some adverbial phrases that use “vez”:
| desta vez | this time | raras vezes [1] | rarely seldom |
| a próxima vez | next time | a última vez | last time |
| cada vez | each time every time | talvez | perhaps maybe |
| pela primeira vez | for the first time | pela última vez | for the last time |
| de uma vez só [2] | at the same time | alguma vez | sometime once |
| em vez de | instead of | de vez em quando | from time to time |
| uma vez | one time once | na minha vez | in my turn |
| outra vez [3] | again | cada vez menos | less and less |
| as vezes | sometimes | três vezes | three times |
| muitas vezes | many times often | várias vezes | several times |
| algumas vezes | at times sometimes | Quantas vezes? | How many times? |
Other Adverbs
Given that an adverb can be created easily from a corresponding adjective, it is difficult to cover a vast number of adverbs in the limited space of this book.
Moreover, there are often multiple adverbs that convey a similar meaning. For example:
- To say “certainly” or “surely,” you could use one of the following options: “certamente,” “seguramente,” “claro,” or even “naturalmente” and “sem dúvidas” (undoubtedly).
- To say “really,” “truly,” or “actually,” you could use: “realmente,” “verdadeiramente,” “de verdade,” or “na realidade.” Remember that “atualmente,” in Portuguese, means “currently,” not “actually.”
- To say “finally,” you could use: “finalmente,” “afinal,” “por fim,” “enfim,” or “por último.”[4]
- “por último” means “lastly” (in a list or order).
- “por fim” and “enfim” mean “at last” (often regarding something that is hoped for).
- “finalmente” and “afinal” can mean “lastly” (in a list or order) or “in the end” (not necessarily regarding something that is hoped for).
In this section, we list some of the most common adverbs and adverbial phrases. You will learn more adverbs as you practice Portuguese by reading, listening, and understanding the general rules explained in this lesson.
Adverbs of Place
| perto | near | longe | far |
| na frente | in front | por trás atrás | behind |
| dentro | inside | fora | outside |
| à frente | ahead | ao redor | around |
| em nenhuma parte | nowhere | a bordo | on board |
| em toda parte | everywhere | em casa | at home |
Adverbs of Time
| em breve | soon | depois mais tarde | later |
| cedo | early | tarde | late |
| antes | before | depois de | after |
| sempre | always | nunca jamais | never |
| frequentemente | often frequently | de repente | suddenly |
| usualmente | usually | então | then |
| agora | now | no princípio | in the beginning |
| todos os dias cada dia | every day | qualquer outro dia | every other day |
| a curto prazo | in the short term | a longo prazo | in the long term |
| a tempo na hora | on time | entretanto | meanwhile |
| imediatamente de imediato | immediately | agora mesmo | right away |
| anteontem à noite | the night before last | diariamente | daily |
| semanalmente | weekly | mensualmente | monthly |
Adverbs of Quantity
| muito | a lot | aproximadamente | approximately |
| demais | too much | um pouco | a little |
| mais | more | menos | less |
| tanto | so much | bastante | enough |
| quase | almost | de forma alguma | at all in any way |
Adverbs of Manner
| como | as like | assim | like this |
| juntos | together | por sorte | luckily |
| pouco a pouco | little by little | passo a passo | step by step |
| depressa | quickly in a hurry | apenas | only just |
| seriamente a sério | seriously | alto em voz alta | loudly |
| além disso | moreover | cara a cara | face to face |
| felizmente | fortunately | infelizmente | unfortunately |
Adverbial Expressions
| de boa vontade | willingly | de má vontade | unwillingly |
| com pressa | in a hurry | na moda | fashionably |
| de cor | by heart | a pé | on foot |
| a caminho | on the way | no exterior[5] | overseas |
Other lessons in Level III:
