Adverbs Ending in -mente

Adverbs express how, when, with what intensity, or in what way an action is performed. For example, it is not the same to say that you eat rice and to say that you eat rice slowly.

Just as adjectives complement or modify nouns, adverbs mainly modify verbs. In some cases, they can also modify adjectives or other adverbs.

Adverbs ending in -mente

Rule 1. In Spanish, just like in English, there are different types of adverbs, such as adverbs of mood, quantity, time, etc. Some adverbs are very easy to identify because they have the suffix -mente (eg. normalmente) added at the end of the word, which is very similar to -ly (normally) in English.

How to Form Adverbs?

Rule 2. As mentioned above, many adverbs are recognized by the suffix -mente. When creating an adverb, you need to take an adjective and attach -mente to the end.

Let's take a look at some examples.

*When it comes to pronunciation, the main rule is that when an already stressed adjective becomes an adverb, the stress stays in the original place. In some cases, the stressed syllable can change, which changes the position of the stress mark.

When forming adverbs in Spanich, the following rules must be taken into account:

Rule 3. Usually, we take the feminine form of an adjective and add the suffix -mente.

Rule 4. If the adjective ends in -e or in a consonant, we just add the ending -mente.

Where are Adverbs Placed?

Rule 5. The position of the adverb depends on several factors. First, you can consider the type of adverb you are using. Adverbs of manner or quantity usually go after the verb:

However, it also depends on what the speaker wants to emphasize. In some cases - for example, with adverbs of time - we can put the adverb at the beginning of the sentence, after the verb, or at the end of the sentence: