Lesson note
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine form of the adjective — rápida → rápidamente — exactly like adding -ly in English (quick → quickly). Unlike adjectives, adverbs describe a verb, not a noun, so they never change: Ella habla rápidamente / Ellos hablan rápidamente — same word either way.
Why do they say it that way?: Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun — pequeño becomes pequeña, pequeños, or pequeñas depending what it describes. English adjectives never do this ("small" stays "small" no matter what).
Tip: turn pronunciation off to test yourself.
Adjectives change to match the noun
- a fast car
- un carro rápidooon KAH-rroh RAH-pee-doh
- a small dog
- un perro pequeñooon PEH-rroh peh-KEH-nyoh
- a small house
- una casa pequeñaOO-nah KAH-sah peh-KEH-nyah
- happy children
- niños felicesNEE-nyohs feh-LEE-sehs
- two small dogs
- dos perros pequeñosdohs PEH-rrohs peh-KEH-nyohs
- two small houses
- dos casas pequeñasdohs KAH-sahs peh-KEH-nyahs
Adverbs never change
- always
- siempreSYEHM-preh
- badly
- malmahl
- easily
- fácilmenteFAH-seel-mehn-teh
- never
- nuncaNOON-kah
- quickly
- rápidamenteRAH-pee-dah-mehn-teh
- slowly
- lentamentelehn-tah-MEHN-teh
- well
- bienbyehn