An adverb (avverbio) is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. An adverb can be compared to an adjective but instead it says something about a verb or an adjective instead of a noun.
In English, adverbs are often formed by adding the suffix -ly to adjectives: slowly, softly, surely. Adverbs often answer the question: come? (how?), quando? (when?), or dove? (where?)
In Italian, many adverbs are formed by adding the ending -mente (which corresponds to the suffix -ly) to the feminine form of the adjective:
Adjective (masc.) | Adjective (fem.) | Adverb |
---|---|---|
felice (happy) | felice (happy) | felicemente (happily) |
vero (true) | vero (true) | veramente (truly) |
lento (slow) | lenta (slow) | stancamente (tiredly) |
stanco (tired) | stanca (tired) | stancamente (tiredly) |
Examples:
If the adjective ends in -le or -re, the final vowel e is dropped before adding the suffix -mente:
Adjective (m. or f.) | Adjectival root | Adverb |
---|---|---|
esemplare (exemplary) | esemplari- | esemplarmente(exemplarily) |
gentile (kind) | gentil- | gentilmente(kindly) |
speciale (special) | special- | specialmente(especially) |
generale (general) | general- | generalmente(generally) |
regolare (regular) | regolar- | regolarmente(regularly) |
Not all Italian adverbs are formed from adjectives. Below we have a list of those adverbs.
ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
---|---|
Ancora | Still |
Attorno | around, about |
Bene | Well |
Contro | against |
Dentro | in, inside |
Dietro | behind of |
Dopo | then, afterwards |
Fuori | outside |
ITALIAN | ENGLISH |
---|---|
Già | already |
Inoltre | moreover |
Insieme | together |
Male | badly |
(non)...mai | never |
(non)...più | not anymore |
Oltre | beyond |
Sempre | always |
Examples: