B1 Italian GrammarAdverbs & Adverb Position
Master Italian adverbs (avverbi) including formation from adjectives with -mente, common irregular adverbs, and correct placement in sentences. Learn to modify verbs, adjectives, and entire sentences with adverbs of manner, time, place, and frequency.
1Forming Adverbs with -mente
Most Italian adverbs of manner are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. For adjectives ending in -le or -re, drop the final -e before adding -mente: facile → facilmente, regolare → regolarmente. The suffix -mente corresponds to English '-ly'.
-mente Adverb Formation
| Adjective (m) | Feminine | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| lento | lenta | lentamente |
| veloce | veloce | velocemente |
| felice | felice | felicemente |
| facile | facile | facilmente |
| regolare | regolare | regolarmente |
| particolare | particolare | particolarmente |
Examples
Parla lentamente, per favore.
Please speak slowly.
lento → lentamente
Il treno arriva normalmente alle otto.
The train normally arrives at eight.
normale → normalmente
Ha risposto gentilmente alla domanda.
She answered the question kindly.
gentile → gentilmente
Fortunatamente, nessuno si è fatto male.
Fortunately, nobody got hurt.
fortunato → fortunatamente
2Common Irregular Adverbs
Many frequent adverbs don't follow the -mente pattern and must be memorized. These include adverbs of time (oggi, domani, ieri), place (qui, là , sopra), manner (bene, male), and quantity (molto, poco, troppo). Some adjectives are also used as adverbs without change.
Common Irregular Adverbs
| Italian | English | Category |
|---|---|---|
| bene | well | manner |
| male | badly | manner |
| molto | very, a lot | quantity |
| poco | little, not much | quantity |
| sempre | always | frequency |
| mai | never | frequency |
| spesso | often | frequency |
| già | already | time |
| ancora | still, yet | time |
| qui/qua | here | place |
Examples
Parla italiano molto bene.
He speaks Italian very well.
bene (well) is irregular
Non sono mai stato in Giappone.
I have never been to Japan.
mai = never
Leggo spesso libri italiani.
I often read Italian books.
spesso = often
Sei ancora qui?
Are you still here?
ancora = still
3Adverb Position in Sentences
In Italian, adverbs typically follow the verb they modify. However, adverbs of time and frequency often come at the beginning or end of sentences. With compound tenses, some adverbs (già , ancora, mai, sempre) usually go between the auxiliary and past participle.
Adverb Placement
| Adverb Type | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| manner | after verb | Canta bene. |
| time (oggi) | start or end | Oggi vado al cinema. |
| già , mai, sempre | before participle | Ho già mangiato. |
| molto, poco | after adjective | È molto bello. |
Examples
Ho già finito i compiti.
I have already finished my homework.
già between auxiliary and participle
Non ho mai visto questo film.
I have never seen this movie.
mai between non...auxiliary and participle
Maria è sempre puntuale.
Maria is always punctual.
sempre after essere
Domani partiremo presto.
Tomorrow we will leave early.
Time adverbs at start/end
4Comparative and Superlative Adverbs
Adverbs form comparatives with più (more) and meno (less), and superlatives with the definite article + più/meno. Some adverbs have irregular forms: bene → meglio (better), male → peggio (worse), molto → più (more), poco → meno (less).
Irregular Comparative Adverbs
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| bene (well) | meglio (better) | il meglio (best) |
| male (badly) | peggio (worse) | il peggio (worst) |
| molto (much) | più/di più (more) | il più (most) |
| poco (little) | meno (less) | il meno (least) |
Examples
Oggi mi sento meglio di ieri.
Today I feel better than yesterday.
meglio = better (irregular)
Parla più lentamente, per favore.
Please speak more slowly.
più + adverb for comparative
Questa volta ho fatto peggio.
This time I did worse.
peggio = worse (irregular)
Chi ha lavorato di più?
Who worked the most?
di più for emphasis