{"id":6276,"date":"2019-08-21T10:00:42","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T18:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/?p=6276"},"modified":"2024-01-24T19:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T03:49:20","slug":"spanish-adverbs-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/spanish-adverbs-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Adverbs: An Easy Guide for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"spanish<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to this article where we\u2019ll talk about how Spanish adverbs work.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch and learn these Essential Spanish Adverbs and their pronunciation.<\/h2>\n

What is an adverb? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

When we think of adverbs, we usually think of words that modify verbs. But did you know they can actually also modify participles, adjectives, and even other adverbs?!<\/p>\n

Spanish adverbs of manner<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The main type of adverb that people think of is adverbs of manner. They describe how<\/strong> something is being done. In English, they often end in \u2018-ly,\u2019 e.g. \u2018quickly,\u2019 \u2018gently,\u2019 \u2018noisily,\u2019 \u2018smoothly,\u2019 \u2018tactfully.\u2019 In Spanish, they often end in -mente<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The general rule for forming adverbs is this:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 1<\/span>Start with an adjective.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. 2<\/span>Put it in its feminine form (if it has separate masculine and feminine forms).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. 3<\/span>Add the suffix -mente.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These examples show you how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    perfecto<\/em> (m) –> perfecta<\/em> (f) –> perfectamente<\/em><\/p>\n

    r\u00e1pido<\/em> (m) –> r\u00e1pida<\/em> (f) –> r\u00e1pidamente<\/em><\/p>\n

    suave<\/em> (m) –> suave<\/em> (f) –> suavemente<\/em><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Here are some sentences with adverbs in them:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Te entiendo perfectamente.<\/i><\/td>I understand you perfectly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Bailas exquisitamente. <\/i><\/td>You dance exquisitely.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    El periodista escribe que, econ\u00f3micamente, el pa\u00eds est\u00e1 en peligro.<\/i><\/td>The journalist writes that, economically, the country is in danger.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u00a1Vamos inmediatamente a la playa!<\/i><\/td>We\u2019re going to the beach immediately!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Si cant\u00e1is ruidosamente por la noche, no puedo dormir.<\/i><\/td>If you sing noisily at night time, I can\u2019t sleep.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Los ni\u00f1os est\u00e1n leyendo silenciosamente.<\/i><\/td>The children are reading silently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    Not all adverbs end in -mente<\/em>. Two of the adverbs that you\u2019ll use the most are bien<\/em> and mal<\/em>. It is possible but very very uncommon to say \u201cbuenamente<\/em>\u201d or \u201cmalamente.<\/em>\u201d Imagine it being as unnatural as a native English-speaker saying \u201cgoodly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Adjective<\/Strong><\/td>Adverb<\/Strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Bueno\/a (good)<\/i><\/td>Bien (well)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Malo\/a (bad)<\/i><\/td>Mal (badly)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Check out these sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Soy un cantante bueno.<\/i><\/td>I am a good singer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Canto bien.<\/i><\/td>I sing well.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Es una cocinera mala.<\/i><\/td>She\u2019s a bad cook.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Cocina mal.<\/i><\/td>She cooks badly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Here are some other important ones:<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    mejor<\/i><\/td>better<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    peor<\/i><\/td>worse<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    mucho<\/i><\/td>much\/a lot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    poco<\/i><\/td>little\/not much<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Now in context:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Hoy me siento mejor que ayer.<\/i><\/td>Today I feel better than yesterday.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Te ves peor.<\/i><\/td>You look worse.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Gano mucho dinero.<\/i><\/td>I earn a lot of money.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Gasto poco dinero.<\/i><\/td>I spend little money.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    Adverbial phrases of manner<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Sometimes, it may sound more natural to use an adverbial phrase than to add -mente <\/em>to an adjective. For example, in an earlier example, we could have said:<\/p>\n

    Los ni\u00f1os est\u00e1n leyendo en silencio. <\/em>(The children are reading in silence.)<\/p>\n

    The more Spanish you read, the more of these phrases you\u2019ll pick up! They\u2019re great alternatives to use when you\u2019ve already used a lot of -mente<\/em> in your writing! Here are a few more examples to get you started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    a diario<\/i><\/td>daily<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Practico el espa\u00f1ol a diario.<\/i><\/td>I practice Spanish daily.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a escondidas<\/i><\/td>secretly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Los ni\u00f1os comieron los caramelos a escondidas. Sus padres no sospechaban nada.<\/i><\/td>The kids ate the candies secretly. Their parents suspected nothing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a mano<\/i><\/td>by hand<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    No voy a comprarlo. Voy a hacerlo a mano.<\/i><\/td>I\u2019m not going to buy it. I\u2019m going to make it by hand.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a menudo<\/i><\/td>often<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ceno a menudo con Phoebe.<\/i><\/td>I often have dinner with Phoebe.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a oscuras<\/i><\/td>in the dark<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tenemos que salir a oscuras para que nadie nos vea.<\/i><\/td>We have to leave in the dark so nobody sees us.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a prop\u00f3sito<\/i><\/td>deliberately<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u00a1Mam\u00e1, Tom\u00e1s me peg\u00f3 a prop\u00f3sito!<\/i><\/td>Mummy, Tom\u00e1s hit me on purpose!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    a rega\u00f1adientes<\/i><\/td>reluctantly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Fui a rega\u00f1adientes al trabajo.<\/i><\/td>I went to work reluctantly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    con frecuencia<\/i><\/td>frequently<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Es normal orinar con frecuencia.<\/i><\/td>It\u2019s normal to urinate frequently.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    de prisa<\/i><\/td>hurriedly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Escrib\u00ed el poema de prisa.<\/i><\/td>I wrote the poem hurriedly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    de verdad<\/i><\/td>genuinely<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Te amo de verdad.<\/i><\/td>I genuinely love you.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    en confianza<\/i><\/td>confidentially<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Te digo esto en confianza, \u00bfvale?<\/i><\/td>I\u2019m telling you this in confidence, okay?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    en seguida<\/i><\/td>right away<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ven aqu\u00ed en seguida.<\/i><\/td>Come here immediately.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    en serio<\/i><\/td>seriously<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    No bromeaba. Hablaba en serio.<\/i><\/td>He wasn\u2019t joking. He was talking seriously.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    Spanish adverbs of place<\/h2>\n

    Adverbs of place tell us where something is. Think of them as modifying the verb estar<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    aqu\u00ed<\/i><\/td>here<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ah\u00ed<\/i><\/td>there (where the listener is)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    all\u00ed<\/i><\/td>there (further away, not near the speaker or the listener)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Mi libro est\u00e1 aqu\u00ed\/ah\u00ed\/all\u00ed.<\/i><\/td>My book is here\/there\/way over there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ac\u00e1<\/i><\/td>here (used in much of Latin America)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    all\u00e1<\/i><\/td>over there (used in Latin America more than in Spain)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    El gato est\u00e1 ac\u00e1\/all\u00e1.<\/i><\/td>The cat is here\/over there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    dentro (de)<\/i><\/td>inside (of)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    fuera (de)<\/i><\/td>outside (of)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Estamos dentro de\/fuera de la estaci\u00f3n.<\/i><\/td>We\u2019re inside\/outside the station.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    delante (de)<\/i><\/td>in front (of)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    detr\u00e1s (de)<\/i><\/td>behind<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Est\u00e1n fumando delante de\/detr\u00e1s de la biblioteca.<\/i><\/td>They are smoking in front of\/behind the library.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    arriba<\/i><\/td>upstairs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    abajo <\/i><\/td>downstairs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vete arriba\/abajo.<\/i><\/td>Go upstairs\/downstairs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    cerca (de)<\/i><\/td>near (to)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    lejos (de)<\/i><\/td>far (from)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Estamos cerca de\/lejos de la peluquer\u00eda.<\/i><\/td>We are close to\/far from the salon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    Adverbs of time and frequency<\/h2>\n

    Lots of the words we use to denote time and frequency are adverbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    hoy<\/i><\/td>today<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Hoy voy a bailar.<\/i><\/td>Today I\u2019m going to dance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ma\u00f1ana<\/i><\/td>tomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Lo har\u00e9 ma\u00f1ana.<\/i><\/td>I\u2019ll do it tomorrow.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ayer<\/i><\/td>yesterday<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u00bfCon qui\u00e9n estuviste ayer?<\/i><\/td>Who were you with yesterday?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    antes<\/i><\/td>before<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    \u00c9l hab\u00eda terminado antes.<\/i><\/td>He had finished earlier\/before.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    despu\u00e9s<\/i><\/td>after<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Despu\u00e9s cenaremos.<\/i><\/td>We\u2019ll have dinner after.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    ya <\/i><\/td>now\/already<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Llegaron ya.<\/i><\/td>They arrived already.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    todav\u00eda\/a\u00fan<\/i><\/td>still\/yet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Harold todav\u00eda no me ha devuelto el dinero.<\/i><\/td>Harold still hasn\u2019t returned the money to me.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    reci\u00e9n<\/i><\/td>recently (Spain)
    \njust now\/only now (Latin America)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Es un beb\u00e9 reci\u00e9n nacido.<\/i><\/td>It\u2019s a newborn baby.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    pronto<\/i><\/td>soon\/quickly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    El Pap\u00e1 Noel vendr\u00e1 pronto.<\/i><\/td>Santa Claus is coming soon.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    luego<\/i><\/td>next\/afterwards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    A las ocho fui al gimnasio. Luego fui al supermercado.<\/i><\/td>At eight I went to the gym. Then I went to the supermarket.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    entonces<\/i><\/td>then\/at that moment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ayer mi novia me mir\u00f3 a los ojos y prometi\u00f3 apoyarme durante mi enfermedad, y entonces supe que la quer\u00eda.<\/i><\/td>Yesterday my girlfriend looked me in the eye and promised to support me through my illness, and at that moment I knew that I loved her.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    siempre<\/i><\/td>always<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    April siempre ayuda a los dem\u00e1s.<\/i><\/td>April always helps others.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    <\/td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    nunca<\/i><\/td>never<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    No me escuchas nunca.<\/i><\/td>You never listen to me.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    Intensifiers<\/h2>\n

    These four words are some of the most common adverbs in Spanish. They can be used to increase or reduce the intensity of something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    muy<\/i><\/td>very<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    bastante<\/i><\/td>somewhat, i.e. pretty (US) or quite (UK)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    casi<\/i><\/td>almost<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    demasiado<\/i><\/td>too<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Here they are in context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Estoy muy emocionada.<\/i><\/td>I\u2019m very excited.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    El edificio es bastante viejo.<\/i><\/td>The building is pretty old.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Hablas casi perfectamente el franc\u00e9s.<\/i><\/td>You speak French almost perfectly.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Es demasiado grande.<\/i><\/td>It\u2019s too big.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Top tip: to avoid using muy<\/em> all the time, try a substitute. Let\u2019s take the following sentence as an example:<\/p>\n

    Mi hermano es muy listo. <\/em>(My brother is very intelligent.)<\/p>\n

    The word muy<\/em> here is modifying the adjective listo<\/em>. It could be replaced with pretty much anything from the following list, and still make sense. It\u2019s a case of choosing the one that fits best, without sounding over the top!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    excepcionalmente<\/i><\/td>exceptionally<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    extraordinariamente<\/i><\/td>extraordinarily<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    fenomenalmente<\/i><\/td>phenomenally<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    incre\u00edblemente<\/i><\/td>incredibly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    sumamente<\/i><\/td>extremely<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    tremendamente<\/i><\/td>tremendously<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    sinceramente<\/i><\/td>truly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    <\/p>\n

    Muy bien…<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Well done for making it to the end of this lesson, whether you did it felizmente<\/em> or a rega\u00f1adientes<\/em>! We look forward to seeing you next time!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

    via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Welcome to this article where we\u2019ll talk about how Spanish adverbs work. via GIPHY Watch and learn these Essential Spanish Adverbs and their pronunciation. What is an adverb?  When we think of adverbs, we usually think of words that modify verbs. But did you know they can actually also modify participles, adjectives, and even other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":"

    \"spanish<\/span><\/div>

    Welcome to this article where we\u2019ll talk about how Spanish adverbs work.<\/p><\/div>

    ___TVE_SHORTCODE_RAW__<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><p><iframe class=\"giphy-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/OF0yOAufcWLfi\" width=\"480\" height=\"238\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/celebs-jimmy-fallon-OF0yOAufcWLfi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p><\/div>__TVE_SHORTCODE_RAW___<\/div><\/div>
    \n\t
    \n\t\tQuick Navigation<\/span>\n\t\t
    Watch and learn these Essential Spanish Adverbs and their pronunciation.<\/a><\/div>
    What is an adverb? <\/a><\/div>
    Spanish adverbs of manner<\/a><\/div>
    Adverbial phrases of manner<\/a><\/div><\/div>
    Spanish adverbs of place<\/a><\/div>
    Adverbs of time and frequency<\/a><\/div>
    Intensifiers<\/a><\/div>
    Muy bien...<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>
    \t

    Watch and learn these Essential Spanish Adverbs and their pronunciation.<\/h2><\/div>
    \n\t\n\n\t
    \n\t\t
    <\/div>\n\t