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: