Adverbs are words that describe, or modify, verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
(1) Add -mente to the feminine singular form of an adjective. Most Spanish adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the Spanish adjective. This ending corresponds to -ly in English.
| English Adjective | English Adverb | Spanish Adjective(m) | Spanish Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
| happy | happily | alegre | alegremente |
| brief | briefly | breve | brevemente |
| clear | clearly | claro | claramente |
| constant | constantly | constante | constantemente |
| fierce | ferociously | feroz | ferozmente |
| frequent | frequently | frecuente | frecuentemente |
| boastful | boastfully | jactancioso | jactanciosamente |
| perfect | perfectly | perfecto | perfectamente |
(2) Use con with the noun. Sometimes, forming an adverb in Spanish by using the feminine singular form of the adjective is just plain awkward. When writing, you may find the spelling tricky. And at other times, you may not recall the feminine form of the adjective. Luckily, you have an easy way out. You can use the preposition con (with) + the noun to form an adverbial phrase, which functions in the same way as an adverb.
| English Meaning | Con + Spanish Noun |
|---|---|
| happily | con alegría |
| clearly | con claridad |
| courteously | con cortesía |
| energetically | con energía |
| skillfully | con habilidad |
| patiently | con paciencia |
| quickly | con rapidez |
| respectfully | con respeto |
(3) Memorize simple adverb phrases. Some adverbs and adverbial expressions aren’t formed from adjectives; they’re words or phrases in and of themselves.
Adverbs beginning with "B - F"