Adverbs in Spanish (now, sometimes, here, today)
Spanish Emotions and feelings A1 Describing objects and people
Learn the different types of adverbs, their usage and translations.
<< Emociones y sentimientos (Emotions and feelings)
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What are adverbs?
Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They give us more information on how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
-
Ana baila muy bien salsa. (Ana dances salsa very well.)
-
El músico tocó la guitarra suavemente. (The musician played the guitar gently.)
-
Los pájaros vuelan alto en el cielo. (The birds fly high in the sky.)
How to form adverbs
Many adverbs in Spanish are formed by adding the suffix "-mente" to the feminine form of an adjective.
| Adverb | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
|
RápidoRapidamente Quick Quickly |
El tren pasó rápidamente por la estación |
The train passed quickly through the station. |
|
SeguraSeguramente Sure Surely |
Seguramente nos veamos en la cena. |
Surely we'll see each other at dinner. |
There are other types of adverbs that we can call “short adverbs”. They look the same as the masculine form of the adjective.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
|
El viento soplaba fuerte. |
The wind was blowing hard. |
|
Ella habló claro. |
She spoke clearly. |
Unlike other Spanish words, adverbs don’t agree with anything, neither gender nor plural forms.
Ella habla lentamente. (She speaks slowly.)
Èl habla lentamente. (He speaks slowly.)
The different types of adverbs in Spanish
There are several different types of adverbs. In the following you will get to know some of the most important ones.
Adverbs of time/frequency (yesterday, now, often, ...)
Adverbs of time tell us when or how often something is happening.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hoy vamos al parque. | Today we are going to the park. |
| Mañana estudiaré mucho. | Tomorrow I will study a lot. |
Adverbs of place (here, inside, far, ...)
Adverbs of place give information about the location.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El parque está aquí. | The park is here. |
| La playa está lejos. | The beach is far. |
Adverbs can be combined to express more precise ideas or highlight a specific characteristic.
La playa está muy lejos. (The beach is very far.)
Adverbs of manner (well, slowly, ...)
Adverbs of manner describe how an action is performed.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El caracol se mueve lentamente. | The snail moves slowly. |
| Ella canta bien. | She sings well. |
Adverbs of quantity (something, nothing, almost, a lot, ...)
Adverbs of quantity provide information about how much, how little, or to what extent an action is performed or a quality exists.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Te pasa algo? | Is something wrong with you? |
| No me pasa nada. | There's nothing wrong with me. |
| Casi olvidé la fecha. | I almost forgot the date. |
| Ella trabaja mucho. | She works a lot. |
Adverbs of doubt (probably, maybe, perhaps, ...)
Adverbs of doubt express uncertainty or hesitation about the action being performed or the quality being described.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
|
Probablemente lleguemos tarde debido al tráfico. |
We will probably arrive late due to traffic. |
|
Tal vez llueva mañana. |
Maybe it will rain tomorrow. |
|
Quizás encuentres el libro que buscas en la biblioteca. |
Perhaps you'll find the book you're looking for at the library. |
Adverbs of affirmation (of course, exactly, also, ...)
We will now learn a new set of adverbs that express affirmation and agreement.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
|
Por supuesto que puedo ayudarte con tu tarea. |
Of course, I can help you with your homework. |
|
Exacto, el tren sale a las diez de la mañana. |
Exactly, the train leaves at ten in the morning. |
|
También me gustaría pedir una ensalada, por favor. |
I would also like to order a salad, please. |
Adverbs of negation (never, neither, not at all, ...)
Adverbs of negation negate actions or qualities described in a sentence.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
|
No me importa en absoluto si decides irte. |
I don't care at all if you decide to leave. |
|
Jamás he visitado España. |
I have never visited Spain. |
|
No le gustó la comida, y a mí tampoco. |
He didn't like the food, and neither did I. |
List of common adverbs in Spanish
Here is a list of some of the most common adverbs in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Ahora | Now |
| Siempre | Always |
| Nunca | Never |
| Después | After or later |
| Antes | Before |
| Tarde | Late |
| Pronto | Soon |
| Ya | Already |
| Aquí | Here |
| Muy | Very |
| Poco | Little or few |
| Bien | Well |
| Mal | Badly or wrong |
| También | Also or too |
| Todavía | Still or yet |
| Entonces | Then |
Key takeaways
Here is a quick summary of this lesson.
- Adverbs modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing information on how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
- In Spanish, many adverbs are formed by adding the suffix "/-mente/" to the feminine form of an adjective. Short adverbs retain the masculine form of the adjective.
- Unlike Spanish nouns and adjectives, adverbs don’t agree with gender or plural forms, remaining the same regardless of the subject's characteristics.
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