Spanish Adverbs Ending in -mente
Learn how to form and use Spanish adverbs ending in -mente, with clear rules, spelling notes, and natural examples
Spanish Adverbs Ending in -mente
Many Spanish adverbs are formed by adding -mente to an adjective. They often describe how an action happens.
- rápido → rápidamente — quickly
- normal → normalmente — normally
- fácil → fácilmente — easily
In English, these often correspond to adverbs ending in -ly.
How to form adverbs with -mente
For adjectives that have masculine and feminine forms, use the feminine singular form and add -mente.
| Adjective | Feminine form | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| rápido | rápida | rápidamente |
| lento | lenta | lentamente |
| tranquilo | tranquila | tranquilamente |
| claro | clara | claramente |
| Examples: |
- Habla lentamente. — She speaks slowly.
- Explícalo claramente. — Explain it clearly.
- Entró tranquilamente en la habitación. — He entered the room calmly.
If the adjective has the same form for masculine and feminine, simply add -mente.
- normal → normalmente
- fácil → fácilmente
- feliz → felizmente
- frecuente → frecuentemente
Keep the original accent mark
When you add -mente, the adjective keeps its original written accent.
- rápida → rápidamente
- fácil → fácilmente
- última → últimamente
This is why many -mente adverbs contain an accent mark even though the ending itself does not require one.
How to use -mente adverbs
These adverbs often describe a verb.
- Ana habla español perfectamente. — Ana speaks Spanish perfectly.
- Normalmente desayuno a las ocho. — I normally have breakfast at eight.
- El profesor explicó la regla claramente. — The teacher explained the rule clearly.
- Puedes hacerlo fácilmente. — You can do it easily.
Many can appear before or after the verb depending on what sounds natural.
- Normalmente voy en metro.
- Voy normalmente en metro.
The first version is usually more natural when the adverb describes how often something happens.
Common -mente adverbs
Some useful A2 adverbs include:
- normalmente — normally
- generalmente — generally
- rápidamente — quickly
- lentamente — slowly
- fácilmente — easily
- claramente — clearly
- perfectamente — perfectly
- realmente — really
- probablemente — probably
- especialmente — especially
Examples:
- Normalmente estudio por la tarde. — I normally study in the afternoon.
- Probablemente llega mañana. — He will probably arrive tomorrow.
- Realmente me gusta esta ciudad. — I really like this city.
- Este ejercicio es especialmente difícil. — This exercise is especially difficult.
Not every adverb uses -mente
Spanish also has many common adverbs that do not end in -mente.
For example:
- bien — well
- mal — badly
- muy — very
- aquí — here
- hoy — today
- siempre — always
Do not try to create an -mente form when a common adverb already exists.
For example:
- ✅ Habla bien. — He speaks well.
- ❌ Habla buenamente. for the normal meaning of “well”
Two adverbs together
When two -mente adverbs are joined by y, Spanish can omit -mente from the first one.
- Habla clara y lentamente. — She speaks clearly and slowly.
- Trabaja rápida y eficazmente. — He works quickly and efficiently.
You may also hear both full forms:
- Habla claramente y lentamente.
Both are possible, but dropping the first -mente is common and avoids repetition.
Common mistake
Do not add -mente directly to the masculine form when the adjective changes for gender.
- ❌ rápidomente
- ✅ rápidamente
Remember:
rápido → rápida → rápidamente
Quick rule
To form many Spanish adverbs:
feminine singular adjective + -mente
- lento → lenta → lentamente
- rápido → rápida → rápidamente
- fácil → fácilmente