Adverbs & -mente
A2Spanish adverbs are often formed from the feminine adjective + -mente; alongside there are fixed adverbs like bien, mal, mucho, poco.
Overview
Spanish adverbs are often formed from the feminine adjective + -mente; alongside there are fixed adverbs like bien, mal, mucho, poco.
- 1.Forming with -mente
- 2.Accent stays with -mente
- 3.Two adverbs in a row
- 4.Fixed adverbs: bien/mal/mucho/poco
- 5.Adverb placement
- 6.Adjective vs. adverb
Rules
61Forming with -mente
Adverb = feminine adjective form + -mente; if the adjective has no feminine form, just add -mente.
- Habla rápidamente. — He/She speaks quickly.rápida + mente
- Trabaja fácilmente. — He/She works easily.fácil → fácilmente
- Lo explica claramente. — He/She explains it clearly.
2Accent stays with -mente
The adjective's written accent is kept; -mente carries its own stress as well.
- rápido → rápidamente — fast → quicklyaccent kept
- difícil → difícilmente — difficult → with difficulty
3Two adverbs in a row
With two joined -mente adverbs, only the last takes -mente; the first stays the feminine form.
- Habla lenta y claramente. — He/She speaks slowly and clearly.lenta, not lentamente
4Fixed adverbs: bien/mal/mucho/poco
Common adverbs are irregular: well = bien, badly = mal, a lot = mucho, little = poco.
- Cocinas muy bien. — You cook very well.not buenamente
- Duermo poco. — I sleep little.
- Trabaja mucho. — He/She works a lot.
5Adverb placement
The adverb usually goes right after the verb, never between auxiliary and participle.
- Comemos siempre juntos. — We always eat together.
- Ha hablado claramente. — He/She has spoken clearly.after participle
6Adjective vs. adverb
Adjectives agree with the noun; adverbs are invariable and describe the verb.
- El coche es rápido. — The car is fast.adjective
- El coche va rápido. — The car goes fast.rápido colloquial adv.
Test
19Test yourself – every rule is checked. You get a score at the end.