With a solid grasp of subjects and common Spanish verbs under your belt, you’re ready to add extra details to your sentences. By specifying how, when, where, and to what extent actions occur, learning adverbs will help you express yourself more naturally and with greater precision.
In this guide, we’ll cover what Spanish adverbs are, common mistakes to avoid, and seven types of adverbs—with plenty of examples to get you started. So next time you’re speaking with your Rosetta Stone tutor, you can talk about how bien (well) you understood your conversation, or mention that you appreciate their help learning Spanish enormemente (enormously).
Table of Contents
What is an adverb in Spanish?
Adverbs in Spanish are an essential part of speech that gives us more information about a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Each type of Spanish adverb answers an essential question, whether describing manner, time, place, or degree.
For example, adverbs of frequency, like siempre (always) and nunca (never), tell us “how often?” But adverbs of degree, like mucho (a lot) and poco (little), indicate “how much?” By learning these different types of adverbs in Spanish, you’ll be able to give details naturally in everyday conversation.
What is the difference between adverbs and adjectives?
Both Spanish adjectives and adverbs help add detail to a sentence, but they serve a distinct purpose. Adjectives modify or describe Spanish nouns, while adverbs modify or describe verbs.
Here are some examples to help make the distinction:
- Su respuesta fue clara. = Her answer was clear. (adjective)
- Explicó su respuesta claramente. = She explained her answer clearly. (adverb)
Some words can function as both an adjective and adverb, which can cause confusion for learners. For example:
- Miguel tiene un coche rápido. = I have a fast car. (adjective)
- Miguel conduce rápido. = Miguel drives fast. (adverb)
How to form Spanish adverbs
How to form Spanish adverbs depends on whether you are describing a verb, adjective, or another verb.
Many adverbs that are used to modify a verb are formed by adding the Spanish suffix -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. For example:
| Feminine Adjective | Adverb (add –mente) |
| rápida (fast) | rápidamente (quickly) |
| cuidadosa (careful) | cuidadosamente (carefully) |
Note that Spanish accent marks in the adjective typically remain in the adverb. It’s also important to note that if an adjective is the same word in both masculine and feminine forms, the corresponding adverb will also remain the same in both forms. The Spanish adjective hábil (able, skillful), for example, does not change forms based on gender.
When used to modify an adjective or another adverb, adverbs generally do not change form, as is often the case with adverbs of degree.
In the following example, muy modifies the adjective grande:
- La casa es muy grande. = The house is very big.
In this example, bastante modifies the adverb tarde:
- Llegaron bastante tarde. = They arrived quite late.
Common mistakes when using Spanish adverbs
When learning how to speak Spanish, it’s important not to be afraid to make mistakes. But after you’ve started using adverbs in conversations, understanding common errors will help you use them confidently.
Incorrect placement of adverbs
In Spanish, adverbs can be placed before or after the part of speech they modify, depending on the type. Since placement rules vary, it’s easy to place adverbs in positions that sound unnatural to native speakers.
Generally, an adverb is placed after the verb it modifies.
- Nosotros comimos tarde. = We ate late.
- Ustedes bailan bien. = You dance well.
In contrast, when an adverb is modifying an adjective or another adverb, it comes before them.
- Ella es muy amable. = She is very kind.
- Corres tan rápido. = You run so fast.
Using adjectives instead of adverbs
Learners often mistakenly use adjectives in place of adverbs or vice versa. A notable example is confusing the adjective bueno (good) with the adverb bien (well). While they’re related in meaning, these words cannot be used in the same way.
- Es bueno y honesto. = He’s good and honest.
- Hablas bien español. = You speak Spanish well.
Applying agreement rules to adverbs
While agreement is an essential Spanish grammar rule, it does not apply to adverbs. Unlike adjectives, adverbs do not change form to agree with the parts of speech they modify.
In the following example, you can see that the adverb lento remains in the masculine singular form even though the sentence is talking about las tortugas, a feminine plural subject.
- Las tortugas caminan lento. = Turtles walk slowly.
On the other hand, this example shows that when lento is used as an adjective, it changes in number and gender to match the subject.
- Las tortugas son lentas. = Turtles are slow.
Types of Spanish adverbs
Categorizing adverbs into different types, such as adverbs of quantity, adverbs of place, and adverbs of time, can help you better understand the correct use.
Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place answer the question “where?” and provide detail about the location of people or objects. You’ll use these when you need to tell your brother where to set up the picnic table for dinner or when describing how close they are to the nearest grocery store.
| Spanish | English |
| aquí | here |
| acá | here |
| allí | there |
| allá | there |
| ahí | there |
| adentro | inside |
| dentro | inside |
| afuera | outside |
| fuera | outside |
| cerca | near |
| cercano | nearby |
| lejos | far |
| arriba | up/above |
| abajo | down/below |
| delante | in front |
| detrás | behind |
| encima | on top |
| debajo | under/beneath |
| al lado | beside/next to |
| alrededor | around |
These adverbs can be used alongside names of places, words for people, and other important Spanish words to give detailed information about where something or someone is located or where an action takes place.
- Mi amigo está aquí. = My friend is here.
- La tienda está cerca de la estación. = The store is near the station.
- Está adentro de la casa. = It’s inside the house.
Adverbs of frequency
By providing details about how often you do something, adverbs of frequency in Spanish will help you talk about your daily routine with ease.
| Spanish | English |
| siempre | always |
| nunca | never |
| jamás | never |
| casi siempre | almost always |
| casi nunca | almost never |
| a veces | sometimes |
| a menudo | often |
| generalmente | generally |
| normalmente | normally |
| frecuentemente | frequently |
| de vez en cuando | now and then |
- Siempre desayuno café y frutas. = I always eat fruits and coffee for breakfast.
- A veces voy al cine con mis amigos. = Sometimes I go to the movies with my friends.
- Nunca llego tarde a las reuniones. = I never arrive late to meetings.
Adverbs of time
When you conjugate verbs in Spanish, you’ll find detailed tenses that provide nuanced information about the timing of actions. Adverbs of time offer even more detail, by specifying exactly when an action occurs.
| Spanish | English |
| hoy | today |
| esta mañana | this morning |
| esta tarde | this afternoon |
| esta noche | tonight |
| mañana | tomorrow |
| mañana por la mañana | tomorrow morning |
| mañana por la tarde | tomorrow afternoon |
| mañana por la noche | tomorrow night |
| pasado mañana | the day after tomorrow |
| ayer | yesterday |
| ayer por la mañana | yesterday morning |
| ayer por la tarde | yesterday afternoon |
| ayer por la noche | last night |
| anteayer | the day before yesterday |
| pronto | soon |
| luego | then/later |
| tarde | late |
| temprano | early |
| ahora | now |
| en seguida | right away |
| ya | already |
| después | after |
| antes | before |
The following examples show how these adverbs of time are placed ahead of the verb to emphasize when an action happened, happens, or will happen.
- Hoy fuimos al parque. = Today we went to the park.
- Mañana tengo una cita importante. = Tomorrow, I have an important appointment.
- Pronto comenzará la conferencia. = The conference will start soon.
Adverbs of quantity or degree
Whether talking about how much you eat, how little you study, or how often you watch TV, this Spanish adverbs chart will help you express the extent to which you do something. It’s helpful to be more descriptive when you are sharing how much you enjoy a hobby you’re learning and how often you do it.
| Spanish | English |
| más | more |
| muy | very |
| mucho | much/a lot |
| bastante | quite/enough |
| suficientemente | sufficiently |
| extremadamente | extremely |
| poco | little |
| demasiado | too much |
| totalmente | completely |
| completamente | completely |
| absolutamente | absolutely |
| apenas | hardly/barely |
| casi | almost |
| tan | so |
| tanto | so much |
| algo | somewhat/a bit |
| enormemente | enormously |
You’ll find adverbs of degree useful when you’re qualifying an adjective, describing the intensity of a verb, or even expressing your feelings when using phrases like “I love you more” in Spanish.
- El café está bastante caliente. = The coffee is quite hot.
- Apenas comí. = I hardly ate.
- Te quiero más. = I love you more.
Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of manner are essential when giving directions with the Spanish imperative mood, narrating stories, and expressing how someone perceives an action or behavior. To describe how or in what way an action is done, here’s a list of adverbs in Spanish that express manner.
| Spanish | English |
| bien | well |
| mal | badly |
| así | like this |
| rápidamente | quickly |
| lentamente | slowly |
| despacio | slowly |
| cuidadosamente | carefully |
| atentamente | attentively |
| fácilmente | easily |
| sencillamente | simply |
| silenciosamente | silently |
| calladamente | quietly |
| hábilmente | skillfully |
| amablemente | kindly |
| cortésmente | politely |
| egoístamente | selfishly |
| generosamente | generously |
| honestamente | honestly |
| abiertamente | openly |
| claramente | clearly |
| oscuramente | darkly |
| alegremente | happily |
| tristemente | sadly |
| seriamente | seriously |
| divertidamente | funnily |
- Abre la puerta lentamente. = Open the door slowly.
- El ladrón entró silenciosamente en la habitación. = The thief entered the room silently.
- Realizó el truco hábilmente. = He performed the trick skillfully.
Conjunctive adverbs
Spanish conjunctive adverbs join two clauses and express the result, purpose, or consequences of something.
| Spanish | English |
| cuando | when |
| donde | where |
| como | as/like |
| luego | then |
| además | besides/also |
| incluso | even/including |
Here’s how they’re used in context:
- En otoño es cuando las hojas cambian de color. = Autumn is when the leaves change color.
- Quiero visitar el lugar donde tú naciste. = I want to visit the place where you were born.
- Baila como si nadie estuviera mirando. = Dance as if no one were watching.
Common adverbial expressions
Once you have a handle on the most common single-word adverbs in Spanish, you’ll be ready to explore multi-word adverbial expressions that add greater precision to your sentences in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| a la perfección | perfectly |
| a tiempo | on time |
| de una vez por todas | once and for all |
| con cuidado | carefully |
| en realidad | really |
| a diestra y siniestra | all over the place |
| de memoria | by heart |
| a oscuras | in the dark |
| a ciegas | blindly |
| de nuevo | once again |
Here’s how they’re used in context to add detail:
- Tenemos que resolver este problema de una vez por todas. = We have to solve this problem once and for all.
- Los niños estaban corriendo a diestra y siniestra. = The children were running all over the place.
- Puedes intentar de nuevo si fracasas la primera vez. = You can try once again if you fail the first time.
Learn Spanish adverbs the Rosetta Stone way
Learning Spanish adverbs can help you speak more naturally and expressively, describing how often, where, when, and in what way an action is performed. This ability to add layers of detail will take your Spanish to the next level, moving you beyond the basic subject and verb.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion speeds up this process by pairing useful vocabulary, such as adverbs, with visual cues to make using them second nature. For example, you might see a picture of a man corriendo rápidamente (running quickly) and hear that phrase spoken by a native speaker to make an authentic, memorable connection.
