Adverbs

Adverbs

A. GENERAL USE

Adverbs provide more information about verbs or adjectives by describing how an action is performed, how often it is done, how intense a quality is, etc.:
Habla bien. She speaks well.
No estudiamos demasiado. We do not study too much.
Es bastante difícil. It is quite difficult.
Adverbs have no feminine or plural forms, and are placed as close to the verb as possible:
Son bastante difíciles. They're quite difficult.
Las peras están demasiado viejas. The pears are too old.
Me gustan mucho las fiestas. I like parties a lot.
Some adverbs, however, are also adjectives. As such, adjectives must agree with the noun in number and gender: Tiene muchos problemas, bastantes preocupaciones y demasiadas deudas.

B. FORMATION OF ADVERBS FROM ADJECTIVES

• To form an adverb from an adjective add -mente to the feminine form of an adjective:
lento => lentamente rápido => rápidamente
feliz => felizmente difícil => difícilmente
• The suffix –mente is rarely used with adjectives ending in –nte. Use adverbial expressions instead:
interestingly de manera interesante
frequently con frecuencia
intelligently con inteligencia, de forma inteligente
elegantly con elegancia
more importantly lo que es más importante
When used in a series, only the last adjective will add the suffix –mente:
Trabaja rápida y eficazmente. He works quickly and efficiently.
• The common adjectives bueno and malo have their own corresponding adverbial forms:
(good) bueno => bien (well) (bad) malo => mal (badly)
Ella habla bien el italiano, pero canta mal.