An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another

adverb.’

Mary drives well.

I I

verb adverb

The house is very big.

adverb adjective

The girl ran too quickly.

I I

adverb adverb

IN ENGLISH

There are different types of adverbs:

adverbs of manner answer the question how? They are the most

common adverbs and can usually be recognized by their -ly ending.

Mary sings beautifully.

Beautifully describes the verb sings, how Mary sings.

They parked the car carefully.

Carefully describes the verb parked, how the car was parked.

• adverbs of quantity or degree answer the question how much?

Paul does well enough in class.

• adverbs of time answer the question when?

He will be home soon.

• adverbs of place answer the question where?

The old were left behind.

IN SPANISH

Adverbs must be memorized as vocabulary. Most adverbs of manner

can be recognized by their ending -mente which corresponds to the

English ending -ly.

naturalmente naturally

generalmente generally

rápidamente rapidly

tIn English and in Spanish, the structure for comparing adverbs is the same as the structure for comparing

adjectives (see What is Meant by Comparison of Adjectives?, p. 120).

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The most important fact for you to remember is that adverbs are

invariable; this means that they never become plural, nor do they have

gender.

Adverb or Adjective?

Because adverbs are invariable and Spanish adjectives must agree

with the noun they modify, you must be able to distinguish one from

the other. When you write a sentence in Spanish, always make sure

that adjectives agree with the nouns or pronouns they modify and that

adverbs remain unchanged.

The tall girl talked rapidly.

Tall modifies the noun girl; it is an adjective. Rapidly modifies the

verb talked; it describes how she talked; it is an adverb.

La chica alta habló rIpidamente.

fern, sing. adverb

The tall boy talked rapidly.

Tall modifies the noun boy; it is an adjective. Rapidly modifies the

verb talked; it describes how he talked; it is an adverb.

El chico alto habld rápidamente.

rnasc. sing. adverb

Remember that in English good is an adjective; well is an adverb.

The boy writes good English.

Good modifies the noun English; it is therefore an adjective.

The student writes well.

Well modifies the verb writes; it is therefore an adverb.

Likewise, in Spanish bueno is an adjective meaning good; bien is the

adverb meaning well.

The good students speak Spanish well.

adjective adverb

Los estudiantes buenos hablan espaflol bien.

rnasc. p1. adverb