Learning Spanish: Understanding Adverbs
This page offers a comprehensive guide to understanding and using adverbs in Spanish, helpful for beginner English speakers.
a lo largo
along
The Spanish translation for 'along' is 'a lo largo'. It can be used in context to explain a position or movement happening from one part to another of a surface or line. For example, 'Caminamos a lo largo del río', meaning 'We walked along the river'. Besides, it can be used metaphorically to illustrate a particular duration in time.
Example sentences with a lo largo →a menudo
often
This one denotes frequented actions. It devoted the high rate of occurrence but it doesn't specify or must be regular like 'siempre'.
Example sentences with a menudo →a través
through
The Spanish word 'a través' is used much in the same manner as 'through' in English. It can imply the motion or positioning of something in a medium (as in, 'walking through the park'), the continuation of a period of time (as in, 'through the years'), or as a preposition in certain verbal expressions (as in, 'look through the window'). Note that 'a través de' might also be used, depending on the context.
Example sentences with a través →a veces
sometimes
The Spanish translation for 'sometimes' is 'a veces'. It is used in essentially the same way as in English to denote something that does not occur at all times, but only on some occasions. For instance, 'Sometimes I go to the gym' can be translated into Spanish as 'A veces voy al gimnasio'.
Example sentences with a veces →absolutamente
absolutely
The Spanish word 'absolutamente' is an adverb used to express complete agreement or to emphasize something. It is the equivalent to the English adverb 'absolutely'. It is often used in conversations to affirm or agree with the speaker.
Example sentences with absolutamente →acerca de
about
The Spanish phrase 'acerca de' is used much like the English word 'about.' In a sentence, it links the main subject with additional information - whether that is a secondary subject matter, a theme or a place. For example, in the phrase 'Quiero hablar acerca de esto' translates to 'I want to talk about this.'
Example sentences with acerca de →acertar
near
The given definition is incorrect. The Spanish verb 'acertar' does not mean 'near' in English. Instead, 'acertar' translates to 'to guess' or 'to get something right'. It is often used to communicate the act of guessing correctly or succeeding in an attempt or prediction.
alguno
some
In Spanish, 'alguno' is used similarly to 'some' in English. It is used to refer to an indefinite quantity or number of things. The word can change form depending on the gender and number of the noun it refers to. For example, 'alguno' (singular, masculine), 'algunos' (plural, masculine), 'alguna' (singular, feminine), 'algunas' (plural, feminine).
Example sentences with alguno →allí
there
The Spanish word 'allí' translates to 'there' in English. It is typically used to point toward a specific place that is distant or to describe a location (either physically or figuratively). It can also be used to introduce a new piece of information or a set of circumstances. The usage of 'allí' is similar to how we use 'there' in English. For example, 'La casa está allí' means 'The house is there'.
Example sentences with allí →alrededor
around
The Spanish word 'alrededor' is used in much the same contexts as 'around' is used in English. This could mean in a physical sense, e.g. to describe something being surrounding or encircling something else. It can also be used in a metaphorical sense, e.g. to describe when something is happening nearby or in the vicinity. A thing to note is that 'alrededor' is usually accompanied by 'de' when used before a noun, similar to saying 'around of' in English.
Example sentences with alrededor →ambos
both
The Spanish word for 'both' is 'ambos'. This word is used to refer to two people or things, viewed and identified together. It can also imply that actions or states involve both the people or things that you are talking about.
Example sentences with ambos →antes
before
The Spanish 'antes' is used in sentences similar to how 'before' is used in English. This word can be used both in the context of time, such as 'I eat before I workout', translating to 'Yo como antes de hacer ejercicio', and also in a comparison, such as 'I prefer coffee before tea', translating to 'Prefiero el café antes que el té'.
Example sentences with antes →aquí
here
This adverb describes location, pointing to or specifying that something or somebody comes to the place the speaker is referring to.
Example sentences with aquí →así
thus
The word 'así' is commonly used in Spanish to mean 'thus', 'so', or 'like this'. It refers to the manner or way in which something is done or happens. It helps indicate a conclusion or a result from a previous statement. It can be used in a variety of contexts and is often found in both formal and informal language.
Example sentences with así →aunque
though
The Spanish word 'aunque' directly translates to 'though' in English and it is commonly used to express a contrast or contradiction, similar to how 'though' is used in English. For instance, you could use 'aunque' in a sentence such as 'Aunque llovió, todavía fuimos al parque,' which translates to 'Even though it rained, we still went to the park.'
Example sentences with aunque →bastante
quite
The Spanish word for 'quite' is 'bastante'. This word is used as an adverb to mean to a moderate, considerable extent or degree in English. In Spanish, 'bastante' signifies abundance and is often used to describe something being enough or more than enough but can also be used much as 'quite' is used in English, to reinforce or give an unspecified quantity of something.
Example sentences with bastante →bien
well
The Spanish word 'bien' is used similar to the English word 'well'. It can function as an adverb, adjective, noun, or interjection depending on the context. For example, it can be used to show that something is done correctly (adverb), describe something as good in a general sense (adjective), express satisfaction or agreement (interjection), or it can reflect moral righteousness (noun). It's a very versatile word in everyday usage.
Example sentences with bien →casi
almost
The Spanish word 'casi' translates to 'almost' in English. It is often used to indicate a near miss or that something is not quite complete. For instance, you can use it to say 'casi terminado,' which means 'almost finished' in English. The usage of 'casi' is quite versatile in Spanish, as it can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Example sentences with casi →ciertamente
certainly
The Spanish word 'ciertamente' is an adverb which means 'certainly' in English. It can be used in sentences to express agreement or affirmation. For instance, if someone asks whether you are sure about a given fact or situation, you can use the word 'ciertamente' to reinforce your certainty. It often denotes an unequivocal yes.
Example sentences with ciertamente →claramente
clearly
The word 'claramente' is an adverb in Spanish that is usually used to demonstrate something that is free from doubt, clear, or obvious. It is used in the same context and grammatical structure as 'clearly' in English. For example, in a sentence, it could be used like 'Él habló claramente sobre el tema', which translates to 'He spoke clearly about the topic'.
Example sentences with claramente →completamente
completely
The Spanish word 'completamente' directly translates to 'completely' in English. It is commonly used to denote entirety or fullness. For example, if you want to describe you are 'completely' sure about something, you could say 'Estoy completamente seguro'.
Example sentences with completamente →corto
short
The Spanish word 'corto' translates to 'short' in English. It can be used to describe a range of things from physical length or duration of something. It can also be used in context to refer to a short film or story (cortometraje), short hair cut (corte corto) or short pants (pantalones cortos). The exact connotation can vary depending upon its application in sentence.
Example sentences with corto →cualquier cosa
anything
The Spanish word 'cualquier cosa' translates to 'anything' in English. It can be used in a variety of contexts, but often to indicate that any kind of thing can happen, be achieved, or is possible. Similar to how it's used in English, 'cualquier cosa' can also be used in a negative context to imply that nothing in particular is wanted or acceptable.
Example sentences with cualquier cosa →cuando
when
The Spanish word 'cuando' is used as an adverb, conjunction, or pronoun, similar to the English 'when'. It can be used to ask about or state the time at which something happens, or to introduce a clause indicating the time at which the action in the main clause takes place. For example, '¿Cuando vas a comer?' means 'When are you going to eat?'
Example sentences with cuando →de todos modos
anyway
The Spanish version 'de todos modos' is used almost in the same manner as 'anyway' in English. It's commonly used to show a change in the conversation or to indicate that something is happening despite whatever else may occur. It can also be used to transition into a new topic.
Example sentences with de todos modos →debajo
under
The Spanish word 'debajo' translates to 'under' in English and is usually used to describe the location of something. It implies that a certain object is below or beneath another object in a physical sense. Like in English, 'debajo' is often used prepositionally in Spanish sentences. An example sentence in Spanish would be 'El gato está debajo de la mesa,' which means 'The cat is under the table.'
Example sentences with debajo →dentro
within
The Spanish translation for 'within' is 'dentro'. 'Dentro' is typically used to indicate that something is contained in a particular area or space. Like in English, it can also represent being within a certain range or period of time. For instance, 'dentro de una semana' translates to 'within a week'. It's important to note that 'dentro' position can sometimes change according to the Spanish sentence structure.
Example sentences with dentro →después
after
The Spanish word 'después' means 'after' in English and is most commonly used to indicate that something happens or is done later than something else or it refers to the time that follows an event. For example, 'Después de la fiesta, tenemos que limpiar' means 'After the party, we have to clean'. It can also be used to talk about position in location or order.
Example sentences with después →detrás
behind
The Spanish word 'detrás' is equivalent to 'behind' in English. It is mostly used in sentences to express physical location or position. However, similar to English, it can also be used metaphorically to suggest lateness or shortfall in progress. Like 'behind schedule'. A proper use of the word in sentence could be 'La pelota está detrás del árbol' (The ball is behind the tree).
Example sentences with detrás →diario
daily
The Spanish word 'diario' translates to 'daily' in English. It is used to describe something that happens, appears or is done every day. For instance, it can be used in contexts such as daily tasks or routines ('tareas diarias' or 'rutina diaria'). This term can also be used to refer to a diary or a newspaper, which are objects often associated with everyday use or reference.