Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 14

CEFR A2-B1

2 min read

Test yourself (18 questions)

Spanish Adverbs in -mente: Rules, Accents and Examples

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

English adds -ly to an adjective: quick, quickly. Spanish adds - to the feminine form:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

the feminine -a-menteWhat do the colours mean?
  • - quickly
  • . - The train arrives quickly.

The -mente chart

Find the feminine form, then add -mente. Adjectives with one form for both genders take it straight on.

AdjectiveBaseAdverbEnglish
quickly
clearly
calmly
completely
easily
normalusually
realreally
totaltotally

Build it from the feminine

rápido, rápida, rápidamente: quickly

The -mente goes on the feminine singular, whatever the noun in the sentence:

  • . - He speaks clearly.
  • . - He's completely mad.

Most adjectives ending in -e or a consonant have one form for both genders, so -mente goes straight on:

  • . - He/she did it easily.
  • . - I usually work from home.

There is no rápidomente: start from the masculine and you get a word that does not exist.

The accent stays

-menteWhat do the colours mean?

An adjective with a written accent keeps it in the adverb, even though -mente brings a stress of its own. The adverb ends up with two stressed syllables: .

AdjectiveAdverbAccent?
kept
kept
kept
none

Copy the adjective exactly, accent and all, then add the suffix. The general rules are on Spanish accent rules.

How often: a scale

Several of the commonest -mente adverbs say how often, and they often open the sentence:

How often?
NeverAlways
  1. nunca
  2. a vecessometimes
  3. frecuentementeoften
  4. normalmenteusually
  5. siempre
  • . - I usually eat at home.
  • . - I really don't know.

Two in a row: lenta y claramente

the feminine -a-menteWhat do the colours mean?

When two -mente adverbs are joined by y, o or , only the last keeps the suffix. The first stays as the feminine adjective:

One -mente does the work for both
  • . - He/she spoke slowly and clearly.
  • . - He/she explained it clearly and calmly.

Repeating -mente on both ( ) is not wrong, and writers sometimes do it for emphasis, but in ordinary prose it sounds heavy.

When Spanish skips -mente

-menteWhat do the colours mean?

-mente adverbs are long, and speakers thin them out. Three everyday ways round them:

Con plus a noun. Often more natural than the -mente form:

Con + nounEnglishInstead of
carefully
patientlypacientemente
affectionatelycariñosamente
oftenfrecuentemente
  • . - Drive carefully.

A one-word adverb of its own. Well and badly are always and , never and :

AdverbEnglish
well
badly
slowly
fast
  • . - You speak very well.

The adjective as it is. In speech, a few adjectives work as adverbs in their masculine form, straight after the verb:

  • . - He/she talks very fast.
  • . - He/she speaks plainly.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
rápidomentebuild from the feminine
the accent stays
. .well is

What to do next

  1. Say the feminine first, then add -mente: , .
  2. Do the word-build drill below.
  3. Then advanced Spanish adverbs for and , and where adverbs go.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/5

Build the adverb from its pieces: the right form of the adjective, then -mente.

  1. rápido + -mente (quickly)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. claro + -mente (clearly)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. fácil + -mente (easily)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. tranquilo + -mente (calmly)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  5. normal + -mente (usually)

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/4

Two adverbs in a row share one -mente. Choose the form.

  1. Habló y lentamente.

  2. Lo dijo muy .

  3. Lo explicó y tranquilamente.

  4. No lo veo .

Matching

0/6

Match each adverb to its English.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

Spanish · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Part of Kilo Lingo Plus

Printables beyond chapters 1 and 2 are part of Kilo Lingo Plus. Sign up free and start your free week to download as many as you like: no card.

Start your free week (no card)

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you form an adverb from an adjective in Spanish?
Take the feminine singular of the adjective and add -mente: gives , then (quickly); gives (clearly). An adjective with one form for both genders takes the suffix straight on: gives (easily), normal gives (normally).
Does the adjective keep its accent when you add -mente?
Yes. keeps its accent in and keeps it in , even though -mente brings a stress of its own. If the adjective has no accent, the adverb has none: , .
How do you say two -mente adverbs in a row?
Only the last one keeps -mente; the first stays as the feminine adjective: (he/she spoke slowly and clearly). Repeating -mente on both is not wrong, but in ordinary prose it sounds heavy.
What does Spanish use instead of -mente?
Often con plus a noun: (carefully), (patiently), (affectionately), (often). Some ideas have their own one-word adverb, such as (well), (badly) and (slowly). In speech, a few adjectives also work as adverbs as they are: (he/she talks very fast).
Is it or ?
Both are used as adverbs. is the full -mente form. In everyday speech Spanish also uses the masculine adjective as an adverb after the verb: , he/she talks fast. The same happens with , and : , he/she speaks plainly.