Adverb Formation
Adverbs in Spanish often come from adjectives, and they show how, when, where, or to what extent something happens. This guide focuses on the common way to turn adjectives into adverbs so you can describe actions more precisely.
Adverbs from Adjectives
The most typical adverbial suffix in Spanish is -mente, which you add to an adjective to make an adverb that corresponds to English "‑ly." The adverb normally keeps the adjective's feminine form, so you start with the feminine adjective and then add -mente.
Formation
To form an adverb with -mente, take the feminine singular form of the adjective and add -mente. If the adjective already ends in -a, you simply add -mente; if it ends in another vowel or a consonant, you replace the masculine ending with the feminine ending before adding -mente.
| Spanish Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ☀️ El entrenador habló claramente para que todos entendieran. | The coach spoke clearly so everyone could understand. | Formation from adjective claro |
| 🌙 Ella siempre entrena cuidadosamente por la noche. | She always trains carefully at night. | Formation from adjective cuidadoso |
| 💨 El corredor salió rápidamente de la línea de salida. | The runner left the starting line quickly. | Formation from adjective rápido |
| 🏋️ Hablaron seriamente sobre el plan de entrenamiento. | They spoke seriously about the training plan. | Formation from adjective serio |
Usage
Adverbs formed with -mente can modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and they usually keep their position in the sentence; placing them at the beginning or end can add emphasis. You can use more than one adverb in a sentence if you want to describe an action in detail.
Adverbs That Don't Change
Some adverbs are invariant and do not come from adjectives; these adverbs do not change form and include words for time, place, manner, and frequency. It's important to recognize these fixed adverbs so you don't try to apply adjective endings where they don't belong.
| Spanish Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🧑🏫 El entrenador siempre habla muy antes de la carrera. | The coach always speaks very before the race. | muy intensifier before adjective/adverb |
| 🏃 Ella corre siempre por el parque. | She always runs through the park. | siempre (always) before verb |
| 🌟 Hablaron bien para motivar al equipo. | They spoke well to motivate the team. | irregular adverb |
| 🚫 No hables mal del compañero. | Don’t speak badly about the teammate. | irregular adverb |
Double -mente
When you use two adverbs ending in -mente in a row, you can keep both endings to show that each modifies the sentence differently, or you can drop -mente from the first to make the sentence sound more natural. Retaining both endings adds nuance, while dropping the first can speed up speech.
Examples
| Spanish Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🏃♂️ El corredor saltó y aterrizó suavemente en la pista. | The runner jumped and landed softly on the track. |
| 📣 La entrenadora habló claramente y motivó a todos. | The coach spoke clearly and motivated everyone. |
| ⏱️ Corrieron rápidamente para ganar tiempo. | They ran quickly to save time. |
| 🧴 Se aplicó la crema y luego se estiró lentamente. | He applied the cream and then stretched slowly. |
| 🌧️ Entrenamos ayer y hoy practicamos nuevamente cuidadosamente. | We trained yesterday and today practiced again carefully. |
Summary
Adverbs in Spanish often form by adding -mente to the feminine adjective, they modify how, when, or where an action occurs, and some adverbs remain unchanged because they are fixed expressions. Practice turning adjectives into adverbs and notice invariant adverbs to speak and write with greater precision.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025