Adverbs · -mente formation
Take the FEMININE singular of the adjective and add -mente — the Spanish equivalent of English -ly.
Examples
- Habla rápidamente.He speaks quickly.
- Normalmente llega tarde.She normally arrives late.
- Lo hace lenta y cuidadosamente.He does it slowly and carefully.
How it works
Many Spanish adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective:
Notice the original written accent on the adjective is PRESERVED:
When two -mente adverbs join with "y" or "o", drop -mente from all but the last to avoid repetition:
He does it slowly and carefully.
He speaks clearly and frankly.
Many common adverbs are NOT -mente forms — bien, mal, muy, mucho, poco, ya, todavía, siempre, nunca, etc.
Adverb position is fairly flexible — usually after the verb or at the end:
She normally arrives late. (often placed first, for emphasis)
Don't form -mente from numbers or color adjectives — those use different constructions.
What you'll practise
1. Add -mente to the feminine singular
rápido → rápida → rápidamente.
- rápidamentequickly
- lentamenteslowly
2. Keep the original accent
fácil → fácilmente, rápido → rápidamente.
- fácilmenteeasily
- rápidamentequickly
3. Drop -mente in coordinated adverbs
lenta y cuidadosamente — only the last takes -mente.
- Habla clara y lentamente.He speaks clearly and slowly.
Practise it until it sticks
Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.