Spanish: An Essential Grammar

They are formed by attaching the suffix -menteto the feminineform of the

corresponding adjective or past participle (or to the invariable form if the

adjective does not have a distinct feminine form). This corresponds to the

English adverbial ending ‘-ly’.

lenta + mente lentamente slowly

decidida + mente decididamente resolutely

feliz + mente felizmente happily

However, not all adverbs in -menteare adverbs of manner:

Hablaron solamente dos personas. (quantity adverb)

Only two people spoke.

Posteriormente se casaron. (time adverb)

They got married later.

Políticamente ha sido un desastre.(sentence adverb)

Politically it’s been a disaster

The suffix -mentecan also be added, although not randomly, to the

absolute superlative forms of adjectives (see 26.6.3):

clarísima + mente clarísimamente extremely clearly

Stress and written accents on adverbs ending in-mente

Both the -mentesuffix and the adjective from which the adverb is derived

are stressed independently. Therefore, an adjective that is normally written

with an accent is also written with an accent when it is made into an

adverb:

fácil + mente fácilmente easily

Two or more adverbs in succession

In written Spanish (and formal spoken Spanish), when two or more -mente

adverbs are joined by link words such as y, pero, oor ni, the -mentesuffix

is omitted from all but the last adverb in the sequence:

Hablaron lenta y gravemente.

They spoke slowly and gravely.

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Adverbs

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