An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb. It expresses a relation of time, place, manner, cause, etc. Most adverbs in English end in -ly. And the fact is that Spanish also has an equivalent of this -ly ending.
Formation of adverbs in Spanish
In Spanish, it is easier to use adverbs than adjectives since adjectives change their forms to match the gender and quantity of the noun they describe while adverbs don't.
You may want to see: Common Spanish personality adjectives
- Most adverbs in Spanish are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. And in this case, -mente corresponds to -ly in English.
For example:
absoluta (absolute) - absolutamente (absolutely)
lenta (slow) - lentamente (slowly)
suave (soft) - suavemente (softly)
rápida (fast) - rápidamente (quickly)
constante (constant) - constantemente (constantly)
clara (clear) - claramente (clearly)
actualmente (currently)
previamente (previously)
fácilmente (easily)
seriamente (seriously)
frecuentemente (frequently)
- When an adjective has a written accent, the adverb retains it. In this case, you can also form an adverb by using the preposition con and the singular form of the noun.
See: Plural forms of nouns in Spanish
For examples:
cuidadoso = cuidadosamente = con cuidado (carefully)
perfecto = perfectamente = con perfección (perfectly)
- There are still adverbs that don't follow follow any rules. And the only way is to memorize them.
Below are some common adverbs that you should know:
- never - nunca
- always - siempre
- very - muy
- a lot - mucho
- a little - poco
- so much - tanto
- suddenly - de golpe/de repente
- secretly - a escondidasa
- already - ya
- slowly - despacio
- beautifully - bonito
- loudly - alto
- quietly - quieto
- luckily - por suerte
- quickly - de prisa
- by heart - de memoria
- unfortunately - por desgracia
- happily - con alegría
- daily - a diario
- really/truly - de verdad
- finally - por fin
- immediately - de inmediato
- carelessly - sin cuidado
- sometimes - a veces
- blindly - a ciegas
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