Forming Adverbs with -mente

In brief

Many Italian adverbs describing how something happens are made from adjectives. Add -mente to the feminine singular form: lento becomes lenta, then lentamente (slowly). Unlike adjectives, these adverbs do not change to match the person or thing they describe.

Form

Feminine singular adjective + -mente: rapido → rapida → rapidamente. With some adjectives ending in -le or -re, drop the final -e first: facile → facilmente; regolare → regolarmente.

Usage

• Use a -mente adverb to say how someone does something: parla chiaramente means ‘speaks clearly.’
• The same adverb works with singular and plural subjects: lui parla lentamente; loro parlano lentamente.

Examples

• Puoi parlare lentamente, per favore? — Can you speak slowly, please?
• Anna spiega tutto chiaramente. — Anna explains everything clearly.
• Troviamo facilmente la stazione. — We find the station easily.

Common mistake

❌ Parla lentomente.

✅ Parla lentamente.

Use the feminine singular base lenta, not the masculine lento, before adding -mente.

Remember

Start with the feminine singular adjective when forming an adverb with -mente.