Adverbs in Spanish
An adverb is a word that modifies, or describes, a verb, adjective, or another adverb. They tell us when, how, or where the action of a verb takes place. Or, they may limit or add to the meaning of a verb, adjective, or adverb.
Example:
Beginner Spanish speakers should listen carefully. ("Carefully" is an adverb telling how the verb "listen" should be done.)
In Spanish, many adverbs are formed by adding –mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. This is quite similar to the way we add "-ly" to make adverbs in English.
Examples:
If two of these types of adverbs modify one verb, the –mente may be dropped from the first adverb.
Examples:
Los estudiantes trabajan rápida y fácilmente.
Mi profesora habla lenta y claramente.
Many other adverbs are not derived from adjectives, and must be learned as individual vocabulary words. Here are some of the most common:
Adverbs of time (these tell when an action takes place) Ayer [yesterday]
Hoy [today]
Mañana [tomorrow]
Más tarde [later]
Adverbs of frequency (these tell how often an action takes place)
Siempre [ always]
Nunca [never]
A veces [sometimes]
Todos los días [everyday]
Raramente [rarely]
Adverbs of place (These tell where an action takes place)
Aquí [here]
Ahí [there]
En todas partes [everywhere]
En ninguna parte [nowhere]
Adverbs of manner (These explain how an action is executed, or add information to a verb, adjective, or adverb.)
Muy [ very]
Bien [well]
Mal [poorly]
Demasiado [too]
Bastante [quite]
Rápido [fast]
Despacio [slowly]
Casi [almost]
Example:
Beginner Spanish speakers should listen carefully. ("Carefully" is an adverb telling how the verb "listen" should be done.)
In Spanish, many adverbs are formed by adding –mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. This is quite similar to the way we add "-ly" to make adverbs in English.
Examples:
| Adjective | Feminine Singular Form | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| Exacto [exact] | Exacta | Exactamente [exactly] |
| Fácil [easy] | Fácil | Fácilmente [easily] |
| Personal [personal] | Personal | Personalmente [personally] |
If two of these types of adverbs modify one verb, the –mente may be dropped from the first adverb.
Examples:
Los estudiantes trabajan rápida y fácilmente.
Mi profesora habla lenta y claramente.
Many other adverbs are not derived from adjectives, and must be learned as individual vocabulary words. Here are some of the most common:
Adverbs of time (these tell when an action takes place) Ayer [yesterday]
Hoy [today]
Mañana [tomorrow]
Más tarde [later]
Adverbs of frequency (these tell how often an action takes place)
Siempre [ always]
Nunca [never]
A veces [sometimes]
Todos los días [everyday]
Raramente [rarely]
Adverbs of place (These tell where an action takes place)
Aquí [here]
Ahí [there]
En todas partes [everywhere]
En ninguna parte [nowhere]
Adverbs of manner (These explain how an action is executed, or add information to a verb, adjective, or adverb.)
Muy [ very]
Bien [well]
Mal [poorly]
Demasiado [too]
Bastante [quite]
Rápido [fast]
Despacio [slowly]
Casi [almost]
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Related Links: Interrogative Adjectives in Spanish Spanish Worksheets Spanish Quizzes Spanish Games Spanish FlashCards |