Read this page, then try this practice.
An adverb (avverbio) is a part of speech that describes, but unlike an adjective, (which describes a noun, e.g. a great date, a shiny bicycle), an adverb describes a verb or another adjective. For example:
- Don’t drive so fast!
- You sing well.
- The exam was extremely difficult.
- You look very tired.
In Italian, most adverbs are formed directly from adjectives and end in the suffix -mente.
Forms
To form most Italian adverbs, take the feminine form of the adjective and add -mente:
| adjective | feminine form | adverb | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| raro (rare) |
rara | raramente (rarely) |
Vado raramente al cinema. (I rarely go to the movies.) |
| veloce (quick) |
veloce | velocemente (quickly) |
Paola guida velocemente. (Paola drives fast.) |
| certo (certain) |
certa | certamente (certainly) |
Certamente puoi accompagnarci al cinema! (Certainly you can come with us to the movies.) |
Exceptions:
Adjectives ending in -le or -re drop their final -e before adding -mente:
| adjective | adverb | example |
|---|---|---|
| gentile | gentilmente | Sandro risponde sempre gentilmente alle nostre domande. |
| regolare | regolarmente | Andiamo regolarmente in palestra. |
| usuale | usualmente | Usualmente facciamo le spese il sabato. |
Some adjectives have totally different adverbial forms that don’t use -mente:
| adjective | adverb |
|---|---|
| buono (good) |
bene (well) |
| cattivo (bad) |
male (poorly) |
| migliore (better) |
meglio (better) |
Some expressions of quantity can be used both as adjectives and adverbs (e.g. molto, tanto, troppo, poco). When adjectives, (i.e. used with nouns), they have four different endings depending upon the gender and number of the noun. When adverbs, (i.e. used with verbs or adjectives), they have only one ending (the invariable -o).
Compare:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| Mangiate troppa pizza. You all eat too much pizza. |
Parlate troppo. You all talk too much. |
| Ci sono pochi studenti in classe. There are few students in class. |
Ho capito poco. I understood very little. |
| I bambini hanno molta energia. The kids have a lot of energy. |
Siamo molto contenti. We are very happy. |
✽ Poco is often used to minimize a quality of an adjective. Sono poco contenta is a more efficient and direct way of saying Non sono molto contenta.
✽ In Italian, especially in spoken Italian, it is common to substitue an adjectival phrase (e.g. in a rude way) for the Italian adverb. Observe:
| Adverb | Adjectival Phrase | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Giorgio parla elegantemente. | Giorgio parla in modo elegante. | Giorgio speaks elegantly. |
| Sandra si comporta scortesamente | Sandra si comporta in maniera scortese. | Sandra behaves rudely. |
Adverbs of time
There is another class of adverbs, the temporal adverbs or adverbs of time. You have probably learned some of these already, without realizing they were adverbs. They include:
| sempre | always |
| spesso | often |
| mai | ever |
| non…mai | never |
| ancora | still, yet |
| già | already |
These, like all other adverbs, are invariable, that is, their endings remain the same.
Position of Adverbs
Adverbs generally go right after the verb:
- Ho mangiato lentamente.
- Parli bene l’italiano.
- Andiamo spesso al cinema.
- Siete molto stanchi.
When using the passato prossimo, many adverbs of time are inserted between the auxiliary verb (essere or avere) and the past participle:
- Ho già fatto la cena.
- Non siamo mai stati in Italia.
- Ho sempre pensato ai miei amici a casa.