Kilo Lingo
Part of Chapter 14

CEFR A2-B1

4 min read

Test yourself (23 questions)

Spanish Adverbs in -mente

English builds adverbs of manner with -ly: quick becomes quickly. Spanish does the same job with -, and the rule is almost mechanical. The trick is knowing what to attach it to, what to do with the accent, and when a native speaker would not use it at all.

The basic rule: feminine adjective + mente

Take the feminine singular of the adjective and add -.

  • -> -> (quickly)
  • -> -> (slowly)
  • -> -> (clearly)
  • -> -> (calmly)

If the adjective has no separate feminine form - that is, if it ends in -e or a consonant and stays the same for both genders - you just bolt - straight on.

  • -> (happily)
  • -> (easily)
  • frecuente -> frecuentemente (frequently)
  • general -> (generally)

The single most common mistake is starting from the masculine. Rapidomente does not exist; it is , from the feminine .

The accent-retention rule

This is the detail that catches people out in writing. The adjective keeps its original written accent when - is added, even though the spoken stress now falls on the -men- syllable.

  • -> (the accent on the á stays)
  • ->
  • -> comúnmente
  • ->

A - adverb is effectively the only Spanish word that carries two stresses: the original one marked by the accent, and the suffix stress on -men-. If the base adjective had no accent, the adverb has none either: , , . So the rule is simple - copy the adjective's accent exactly, then add the suffix.

Table of common -mente adverbs

Adjective (masc.)FeminineAdverbEnglish
quickly
slowly
clearly
calmly
perfectly
(no change)easily
(no change)happily
frecuente(no change)frecuentementefrequently
general(no change)generally
normal(no change)normally

When Spanish prefers con + noun

Here is the thing the rulebooks skate over: native speakers do not actually use - as freely as English uses -ly. The suffix is long and heavy, and a sentence with two or three of them sounds clumsy. The usual escape route is con ("with") plus an abstract noun.

  • con = carefully (more natural than cuidadosamente)
  • con = frequently (preferred over frecuentemente in speech)
  • con = patiently
  • con = easily (alongside fácilmente)
  • con = affectionately

So con ("speak carefully") is more idiomatic than . When you find yourself reaching for a long - adverb, ask whether con plus a noun would sound lighter. It usually does.

A few manner ideas have their own dedicated adverbs and never take - at all: (well), (badly), (slowly), (quickly). Use these rather than inventing buenamente or malamente - those exist but mean something else entirely.

Dropping -mente on coordinated adverbs

When two - adverbs are joined by y, o or , Spanish drops the suffix from the first one and leaves only the feminine adjective. The - on the last adverb does the work for both.

  • y . (He spoke slowly and clearly.) - not lentamente y claramente
  • . (She works quickly but carefully.)
  • simple y . (He explained it simply and directly.)

The dropped form is still the feminine adjective (lenta, rápida, simple), because that is the stem - would have attached to. This is not optional in careful writing - keeping - on both reads as redundant.

Common mistakes English speakers make

Building from the masculine. It is , from , never rápidomente. Always take the feminine base first.

Dropping the accent. without the accent is a spelling error. The adjective's accent survives the suffix: , , comúnmente.

Overusing -. Stacking three - adverbs in a sentence sounds heavy and non-native. Reach for con plus a noun, or a one-word adverb like or , to break the rhythm.

Keeping - on both coordinated adverbs. y should be y . Only the last adverb in the pair carries the suffix.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Fill in the blank

0/9

Turn the adjective in brackets into a -mente adverb. Keep the adjective's written accent on the adverb.

  1. El tren llega . (rápido) (rápido -> rápida)

  2. Lo dijo muy . (claro) (claro -> clara)

  3. Lo hizo . (fácil) (fácil keeps its accent)

  4. El abuelo camina por la calle. (tranquilo) (tranquilo -> tranquila)

  5. salimos a las ocho. (normal) (normal takes -mente straight on)

  6. trabajo por la mañana. (general) (general takes -mente straight on)

  7. Lo dijo muy . (simple) (simple takes -mente straight on)

  8. El hombre habla . (rápido) (rápido -> rápida, accent stays)

  9. Lo entiendo . (fácil) (fácil keeps its accent)

Translation drill

0/7

Translate into Spanish, using a -mente adverb and keeping the accent where the adjective has one.

  1. She works quickly.

  2. He spoke calmly and clearly.

  3. I generally work in the morning.

  4. We finished the work easily.

  5. The man speaks quickly.

  6. She said it simply and clearly.

  7. Normally we leave at eight.

Matching

0/7

Match each -mente adverb to its English meaning.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form an adverb from an adjective in Spanish?
Take the feminine singular form of the adjective and add -mente. Rápido becomes rápida, then rápidamente (quickly). Lento becomes lenta, then lentamente (slowly). Adjectives that do not change for gender just take the suffix straight: feliz gives felizmente, fácil gives fácilmente. The feminine base is the only fiddly part - if you start from the masculine you get the wrong stem.
Does the adjective keep its accent when you add -mente?
Yes. The written accent on the adjective is retained even though -mente shifts the spoken stress: rápida keeps its accent in rápidamente, fácil keeps its in fácilmente, común in comúnmente. This is the one place in Spanish where a word carries two stresses, and the accent mark is the trace of the original adjective. Dropping it is a common written error.
What does Spanish use instead of -mente?
Spanish often prefers con plus an abstract noun where English would reach for an -ly adverb. Con cuidado (carefully) is more natural than cuidadosamente; con frecuencia (frequently) beats frecuentemente in speech; con paciencia, con cariño, con facilidad all do the work of an adverb. -mente adverbs can sound heavy when stacked, so native speakers thin them out this way.