How to build adverbs of manner, and why Spaniards often avoid them
Can form and use adverbs of manner, and choose natural alternatives to them
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Normalmente ceno sobre las nueve, pero últimamente llego tardísimo del trabajo.
I usually have dinner around nine, but lately I've been getting home from work very late.
Explícamelo despacio y claro, que no me entero.
Explain it to me slowly and clearly, I'm not following.
El guía habló lenta y pausadamente para que todos entendiéramos.
The guide spoke slowly and unhurriedly so that we would all understand.
Зверніть увагу на виділені частини. Що у них спільного?
Spanish -mente is the equivalent of English "-ly", and the rule for making it is simple: take the feminine form of the adjective and add -mente.
| Adjective | Feminine | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| rápido - quick | rápida | rápidamente - quickly |
| lento - slow | lenta | lentamente - slowly |
| fácil - easy | fácil | fácilmente - easily |
| normal - normal | normal | normalmente - usually |
| cortés - polite | cortés | cortésmente - politely |
Adjectives with one form for both genders (fácil, normal, feliz, alegre) take -mente as they are. The feminine is a fossil: mente was the Latin word for "mind", which was feminine, so claramente once meant "with a clear mind".
The adjective keeps its written accent: rápido → rápidamente, fácil → fácilmente, cortés → cortésmente. Say it aloud and you will hear two stresses, one on the adjective and one on -men-.
When two -mente adverbs are joined by y, o or pero, only the last one keeps the ending; the first stays in the feminine form: Habló lenta y claramente - "She spoke slowly and clearly". Lentamente y claramente is not wrong, but the first ending is normally dropped, especially in writing.
Here English and Spanish part ways. English uses "-ly" freely in conversation; in Spanish a string of -mente words sounds heavy and bureaucratic, and speakers reach for other options:
| With -mente (correct, but formal) | What people say |
|---|---|
| Conduce rápidamente. | Conduce rápido. / Conduce muy deprisa. |
| Lo hizo cuidadosamente. | Lo hizo con cuidado. |
| Frecuentemente vamos al cine. | Solemos ir al cine. / Vamos a menudo. |
| Habla claramente. | Habla claro. |
Three tools do most of the work: the plain adjective used as an adverb (rápido, claro, alto, fuerte - ¡Habla más alto!), con + noun (con calma, con prisa, con paciencia), and a verb that carries the meaning (soler for "usually").
Some -mente adverbs, though, are everywhere in the street: normalmente, exactamente, perfectamente, solamente, últimamente (lately), prácticamente, seguramente (probably, not "surely"), tranquilamente. ¿Vienes mañana? - Seguramente. means "Probably", which surprises English speakers.
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Вправи для практикиNormalmente ceno sobre las nueve, pero últimamente llego tardísimo del trabajo.
I usually have dinner around nine, but lately I've been getting home from work very late.
Normalmente and últimamente are among the handful of -mente adverbs that are genuinely frequent in speech.
Explícamelo despacio y claro, que no me entero.
Explain it to me slowly and clearly, I'm not following.
Here a Spaniard uses 'despacio' and the bare adjective 'claro' instead of lentamente y claramente. Far more natural in speech.
El guía habló lenta y pausadamente para que todos entendiéramos.
The guide spoke slowly and unhurriedly so that we would all understand.
Two coordinated adverbs: only the second keeps -mente. This is written register, and here it fits.
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Застосуйте цю граматику у вправах курсу A2