Spanish Adverbs

Adverbs are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

The following are the principal Spanish adverbs:

Abajo - below
Acaso - perhaps
Además - besides
Adelante - before, in point of place
delante - before, in point of place
Ahora - now
Alrededor - around
entorno - around
Amenudo - often
á menudo - often
Antes - before, in point of time
antes bien - rather
Anoche - last night
Anteanoche - the night before last
Apenas - as soon as
así que - as soon as
Aquí - here
acá - hither
Allí - there
allá - thither
De aquí - hence
De allí - thence
Aun - still
Todavía - yet
Ayer - yesterday
Anteayer - the day before yesterday
Bastante - sufficiently
Bien - well
Cerca - near
Debajo - under
Por debajo - underneath
Demasiado - too, too much
Dentro - within
Después - after, afterwards
Detrás - behind
Donde[1] - where
En breve - shortly
Encima - upon, above
Enfrente - opposite
Entonces - then
Fuera - outside
Hacia - towards
Hacia adelante - forwards
Hacia abajo - downwards
Hasta - till, until
Hoy - to-day
Junto - next
Lejos - far
Luego - presently, soon, then
Mañana - to-morrow
Mal - badly
Más - more
Mejor - better
Menos - less
Mientras - whilst
Mientras tanto - in the meantime
Mucho - much
Muy[2] - very
Nunca - never
Jamás - never
Ni...ni... - neither...nor...
Ni tampoco - not either
Peor - worse
Pronto - soon
Quizá - perhaps
Quizás - perhaps
Tal vez - perhaps
Tan - so
así - so
Tanto - so much
Tarde - late
Temprano - early
Ya[3] - already

Those marked with an asterisk may govern a noun or pronoun through the preposition "de" with the exception of "junto", which governs these words through "á."

Adverbs may be formed from adjectives as in English.

The English termination "ly" is rendered by mente added to the feminine form of the adjective, when this changes for the feminine.

Adverbs are compared like the adjectives, but the superlative relative of adverbs is formed with lo más, and lo menos, as:

• Es el más rico: He is the richest.
• Esta adornado lo más ricamente posible: It is ornamented in the richestmanner possible.
• Es el menos exacto: He is the least exact.
• Cotice lo menos que pueda: Quote the least you can.

Besides the primitive adverbs given in our list, there are many adverbial locutions:

• á toda prisa (with all speed).
• á la española (in the Spanish fashion).
• á troche y moche, á trochimoche (in a slipshod way).
• con blandura (gently).
• de mala gana (unwillingly).
• de vez (or de cuando) en cuando (from time to time).
• tal cual vez (once in a while).
• un si es, no es (ever so little).

When an adverb is followed by a verb in English que must be inserted in Spanish before a finite mood and de before an infinitive, as:

• Después de venir (after coming).
• Después que vino (after he came).

The phrases "I say so," " I think it is (so)," "I do not think so," are rendered "Digo que si" (or "lo digo"), "Creo que sí" (or "lo creo"), "Creo que no" (or "no lo creo").

Some adjectives are used adverbially, as in English, without the addition of mente, as:

• Vender barato, caro (to sell cheap, dear).
• Hablar alto, bajo (to speak loud, low).

When two or more adverbs ending in mente occur in the same sentence, the termination is added only to the last, as:

• Escribe clara,[4] concisa[4] y elegantemente: He writes clearly, concisely and elegantly.