Adverbs
Adverbs are usually used to describe a verb. In other words, they describe actions. This adds
more detail. Adverbs can describe how something is being done (quickly, badly, etc) and when,
where or how often something takes place.
Most Spanish adverbs end in -mente, like -ly in English, for example:
regularmente (regularly), eg juego al tenis regularmente (I play tennis regularly)
lentamente (slowly), eg el tren viaja lentamente (the train travels slowly)
Most of the time the adverb goes after the verb it is describing. Adverbs are invariable, which
means they only have one form and do not change according to gender or number.
Adverbs ending in -mente
An adverb can be formed from almost any adjective in Spanish. Add -mente to the feminine
singular form. Here are some examples:
Adjective Feminine singular form Add -mente
completo (complete) completa completamente (completely)
suave (soft) suave (no change) suavemente (softly)
correcto (correct) correcta correctamente (correctly)
grave (serious) grave (no change) gravemente (seriously)
For example, es importante escribir correctamente (it's important to write correctly).
Some adverbs are completely irregular, such as bien (well) and mal(badly): habla español
muy mal (he speaks Spanish very badly). When two or more adverbs are used in sequence,
add -mente only to the last adverb, eg habla rapida pero claramente (she speaks quickly but
clearly).
Question
Change these adjectives into adverbs.
1. rápido
2. ruidoso
3. seguro
4. fácil
5. triste
Hide answer
1. rápidamente (quickly)
2. ruidosamente (noisily)
3. seguramente (safely)
4. fácilmente (easily)
5. tristemente (sadly)
Adverbs used as comparatives and superlatives
In the same way as with adjectives, adverbs can also be used to make comparisons using más
que (more than) and menos que(less than). For example:
Llego más rápidamente en coche que en tren (I arrive more quickly by car than by
train).
Similarly, adverbs can also be used as superlatives. For example:
Ir de compras es la actividad que hago más regularmente(Going shopping is the activity
that I do most often).
Other adverbs
As well as regular adverbs that end in -mente, there are other types of adverbs.
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time are used to say when or how often something is happening. They can come
before or after the verb. As well as regular adverbs of time
like diariamente (daily), frecuentemente(frequently) etc, there are other useful irregular adverbs
of time including:
hoy today
mañana tomorrow
anoche last night
ayer yesterday
ahora now
siempre always
todavía still
ya already
tarde late
temprano early
nunca never
a veces sometimes
a menudo often
For example:
Nunca voy de compras (I never go shopping).
Iré de vacaciones mañana (I will go on holiday tomorrow).
Todavía no he hecho mis deberes (I still haven't done my homework).
El autobús llegó tarde (The bus arrived late).
Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place show where something is happening and give information about the location.
They can come before or after the verb. Useful adverbs of place include:
aquí here
allí there
cerca near
lejos far
adentro inside
afuera outside
arriba above
abajo below
For example:
Aquí hay muchas tiendas (There are many shops here).
El museo está lejos (The museum is far).
Quantifiers and intensifiers
Quantifiers or intensifiers are adverbs of quantity or degree. They tell us how much, or to what
extent, something is happening, eg me gusta mucho el cine (I like the cinema a lot) or los chicos
hablan demasiado (the boys talk too much). They can also be used to add more detail to another
adverb or an adjective, eg ella canta muy bien (she sings very well), los deberes son demasiado
difíciles (the homework is too difficult).
Useful quantifiers and intensifiers include:
bastante enough/quite
demasiado too much
un poco a little
mucho a lot
muy very
Question
Translate these sentences containing adverbs into English.
1. Siempre como el desayuno.
2. Voy al cine a menudo.
3. Los exámenes son bastante fáciles.
4. Mi amigo vive allí.
5. Hago la natación ocasionalmente.
6. Me gusta el queso un poco.
Hide answer
1. I always eat breakfast.
2. I go to the cinema often.
3. The exams are quite easy.
4. My friend lives there.
5. I go swimming occasionally.
6. I quite like cheese.
