Spanish Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE SPANISH ADVERBS
Adverbs in Spanish are invariable words (they do not change form based on gender or number) and modify or qualify several categories of words or phrases.
Adverbs provide additional information on quantity, manner, time, place, degree or affirmation/negation/doubt and often answer questions such as ‘When?’, ‘How?’, ‘Where?’, ‘To what extent?’, ‘To what extent?’ and so forth.
TYPES OF ADVERBS
In Spanish, the traditional way to classify adverbs is according to their meaning and function.
Based on said distinction, these are the categories of adverbs:
| spanish name | english name |
|---|---|
| Adverbio de Lugar | Adverb of Place |
| Adverbio de Tiempo | Adverb of Time |
| Adverbio de Modo o Manera | Adverb of Mode or Manner |
| Adverbio de Cantidad y Grado | Adverb of Quantity and Degree |
| Adverbio de Afirmación | Adverb of Affirmation |
| Adverbio de Negación | Adverb of Negation |
| Adverbio de Duda | Adverb of Doubt |
Most adverbs in Spanish carry a lexical meaning, that is, they have a specific (real-world) meaning, as defined in the dictionary, like for example repetidamente (repeatedly).
Most of the lexical adverbs end in –mente, like supuestamente (supposedly), rápidamente (quickly) and lentamente (slowly). These kinds of adverbs are normally formed by adding the suffix –mente to the ending of the singular feminine form of the adjective.
Some adverbs, on the other hand, just have a grammatical purpose, that is, they serve a functional role in a sentence, such as no (no), ya (already), and aquí (here).
Adverbio de Lugar (Adverb of Place)
Adverbs of place characteristically describe where an action or something takes place, frequently answering questions like ‘Where?’
| Allá – Vamos allá. | Over there – Let’s go over there. |
| Aquí – El coche está aquí | Here – The car is here. |
| Lejos – El restaurante está lejos. | Far – The restaurant is far. |
| Cerca – La escuela está cerca. | Near – The school is near. |
| Alrededor – Paseo a mi perro alrededor del parque. | Around – I walk my dog around the park. |
| Debajo – Los zapatos están debajo de la cama. | Under – The shoes are under the bed. |
Adverbio de Tiempo (Adverb of Time)
Adverbs of time characteristically describe when or the frequency with which an action or something happens, usually answering questions like ‘When?’ or ‘How often?’
| Nunca – Nunca llego tarde. | Never – I am never late. |
| Siempre – Siempre llueve en abril. | Always – It always rains in April. |
| Apenas – Apenas le veo. | Hardly – I hardly see him. |
| Ayer – La llamé ayer. | Yesterday – I called her yesterday. |
| Hoy – Hoy comemos juntos. | Today – Today we have lunch together. |
| Mañana – Lo dejamos para mañana. | Tomorrow – Let’s leave it for tomorrow. |
Adverbio de Modo o Manera (Adverb of Mode or Manner)
Adverbs of mode or manner characteristically describe how or the manner in which an action or something is performed or takes place, frequently answering questions like ‘How?’
Adverbs of mode or manner often end in –mente, which are generally derived from adjectives.
These kinds of adverbs are normally formed by adding the suffix –mente to the ending of the singular feminine form of the adjective, like for example:
doloroso (painful masculine, singular) → dolorosa + mente → dolorosamente (painfully)
| Rápidamente – Llegó rápidamente. | Quickly – He/She quickly arrived. |
| Diariamente – Tomo café diariamente. | Daily – I take coffee daily. |
| Obviamente – Obviamente no estoy preparado. | Obviously – I am obviously not prepared. |
| Lentamente – Conduce lentamente. | Slowly – He/She drives slowly. |
| Calmadamente – El profesor habla calmadamente | Calmly – The teacher speaks calmly. |
| Estupendamente – Me encuentro estupendamente | Amazingly – I feel amazingly well. |
Adverbio de Cantidad y Grado (Adverb of Quantity and Degree)
Adverbs of quantity and degree characteristically describe the degree or extent to which something or an action is performed or a characteristic is present, frequently answering questions like ‘How much?’ or ‘How many?’
| Mucho – Me gusta mucho el queso. | A lot/Very much – I like cheese a lot. |
| Muy – Estoy muy contenta. | Very – I am very happy. |
| Todo – Se lo llevó todo. | All/Everything – He/She took everything. |
| Bastante – Mi casa está bastante lejos. | Quite – My house is quite far. |
| Nada – No queda nada. | Nothing – There is nothing left. |
| Algo – Algo sé del tema. | Something – I know something about the topic. |
Adverbios de Afirmación, Negación y Duda (Adverbs of Affirmation, Negation and Doubt)
Adverbs of affirmation, negation, and doubt characteristically indicate that there is either an affirmation, negation, or uncertainty.
| Sí – Sí, vamos a comer. | Yes – Yes, let’s go have lunch. |
| No – No, gracias. | No – No, thank you. |
| A lo mejor – A lo mejor vaya a la fiesta. | Maybe – Maybe I will go to the party. |
| Probablemente – Probablemente hará frío mañana. | Probably – It will probably be cold tomorrow. |
| En absoluto – En absoluto, no me gustan las espinacas. | Absolutely not – Absolutely not, I do not like spinach. |
| Por supuesto – Por supuesto que te presto mi coche. | Of course – Of course I’ll lend you my car. |
PLACEMENT OF ADVERBS
Spanish allows for a great degree of flexibility when it comes to adverb placement within a given phrase. Many times, the placement of an adverb is more a stylistic choice than a grammatical one.
Irrespective of the flexibility in the placement of adverbs within a phrase, the natural tendency is to place the adverb closest to the word that it qualifies or modifies. Also, certain positions tend to be more common depending on what the adverb is qualifying or modifying.
WITH VERBS
Adverbs that modify or qualify verbs typically follow the verb that they modify or qualify:
PATTERN
Verb + Adverb
| Ella baila bien. | She dances well. |
| Ellos conducen muy rápido. | They drive very fast. |
| El bebé come mucho. | The baby eats a lot. |
| Me desconcentro un poco cuando hay ruido. | I get a little distracted when there is noise. |
| Mi madre hace ejercicio a menudo. | My mother exercises often. |
| Camino lentamente por las mañanas. | I walk slowly in the mornings. |
WITH ADJECTIVES & OTHER ADVERBS
Adverbs that modify or qualify an adjective or another adverb normally precede the adjective or adverb that is being modified or qualified:
PATTERN
Adverb + Adjective being modified or qualified
Adverb + Adverb being modified or qualified
| Muy graciosa – La película es muy graciosa. | Very funny – The movie is very funny. |
| Verdaderamente delicioso – El pan es verdaderamente delicioso. | Truly delicious – The bread is truly delicious. |
| Bastante lejos – El museo queda bastante lejos. | The second time – The museum is quite far away. |
| Tan lento – El autobús es tan lento. | So slow – The bus is so slow. |
| Realmente deprisa – El tiempo pasa realmente deprisa. | Really quickly – Time goes by really quickly. |
| Muy tranquilamente – Él duerme muy tranquilamente. | Very peacefully – He sleeps very peacefully. |
WITH SENTENCES
Adverbs that modify or qualify an entire sentence, particularly those that refer to time, affirmation, negation, or doubt are normally placed at the beginning of the sentence or clause:
PATTERN
Adverb + Sentence
| Probablemente vendrán mañana. | They will probably come tomorrow. |
| Afortundamente, vivimos al lado. | Luckily, we live right beside. |
| Seguramente estaremos allí. | Surely we will be there. |
| Naturalmente los niños están contentos en Navidad. | Naturally kids are happy at Christmas. |
| Evidentemente las cosas me van bien. | Evidently things are going well for me. |
| Sinceramente, me ha cogido por sorpresa. | Honestly, this has caught me by surprise. |
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FAQs
What is an adverb in Spanish?
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, providing information about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
How to form adverbs in Spanish?
Many Spanish adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine form of an adjective, such as rápido (quick) becoming rápidamente (quickly).
Where to place the adverb in a sentence?
Adverbs usually appear after the verb they modify, but they can also be placed at the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis.
Any common Spanish adverbs?
Some common adverbs of time include ahora (now), ayer (yesterday), hoy (today), and mañana (tomorrow).
Do adverbs change based on gender & number?
No, unlike adjectives, adverbs do not change based on gender or number and remain the same regardless of the words they modify.
Learn more about Spanish adjectives here.
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