How do you form adverbs in Italian?

Take the feminine singular of the adjective and add -mente: lenta gives lentamente, sicura gives sicuramente. Adjectives in -e add -mente directly (veloce, velocemente), and adjectives in -le or -re drop the e first (facile, facilmente; regolare, regolarmente).

Where do adverbs go in an Italian sentence?

Usually right after the verb: parla bene, mangia troppo. In compound tenses, short adverbs such as già, ancora, sempre, and mai go between the auxiliary and the past participle: ho già mangiato. Most other adverbs go after the participle: ha risposto gentilmente.

Do Italian adverbs agree with the noun?

No. Adverbs are invariable. The confusion comes from words such as molto, poco, and troppo, which can be adjectives or adverbs. As adjectives they agree (molti amici), and as adverbs they do not (molto stanchi).

What is the difference between bene and buono?

Bene is an adverb and tells you how something is done: canta bene, she sings well. Buono is an adjective and describes a noun: una buona cantante, a good singer. For food, buono means tasty: la pasta è buona.

What are the most common Italian adverbs?

Some of the most frequent are bene, male, molto, poco, troppo, così, già, ancora, sempre, mai, subito, presto, tardi, oggi, domani, qui, lì, forse, and proprio. Learn these as vocabulary, because none of them comes from a -mente pattern.

Italian grammar · Beginner

Italian Adverbs

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Italian adverbs describe how, when, where, or how much something happens. Many are formed by adding -mente to the feminine form of an adjective, the way English adds -ly: lento becomes lentamente. Unlike adjectives, adverbs never change their ending, so molto bella and molto belli both use the same molto.

Parla lentamente e molto bene.

She speaks slowly and very well.

What it is

An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Italian has two kinds: short basic adverbs such as bene, male, molto, qui, and subito, which you learn as vocabulary, and adverbs in -mente, which you build from adjectives. Both kinds are invariable.

Il treno è arrivato tardi, ma siamo arrivati facilmente in albergo. (The train arrived late, but we got to the hotel easily.)

How to spot it

To build an adverb in -mente, take the feminine singular of the adjective and add -mente. If the adjective ends in -le or -re, drop the final e first.

lento → lenta → lentamente (slow → slowly)
veloce → velocemente (fast → quickly)
facile → facilmente (easy → easily)
regolare → regolarmente (regular → regularly)

The best-known exception is leggero, which gives leggermente (slightly), not leggeramente.

Adverbs Quick Reference

The main types of Italian adverbs

Type	Common adverbs	Example
Manner (how)	bene, male, così, lentamente, volentieri	Guida lentamente. (He drives slowly.)
Time (when)	ora, adesso, oggi, domani, presto, tardi, subito, già, ancora	Arrivo domani. (I'm arriving tomorrow.)
Place (where)	qui, lì, sopra, sotto, dentro, fuori, vicino, lontano	Aspettami qui. (Wait for me here.)
Quantity (how much)	molto, poco, troppo, tanto, abbastanza	Mangia troppo. (He eats too much.)
Frequency (how often)	sempre, spesso, a volte, raramente, mai	Esco spesso. (I go out often.)
Opinion and doubt	sì, no, certo, forse, proprio, neanche	Forse ha ragione. (Maybe he's right.)

Common Adverbs Examples in Italian

Italian adverbs in real sentences:

Adverbs in -mente

Ha risposto gentilmente.: She answered kindly.
Faccio sport regolarmente.: I do sport regularly.
È veramente bravo.: He's really good.
Ho capito perfettamente.: I understood perfectly.

Veramente and davvero both mean really. Davvero is not a -mente adverb but is just as common.

Everyday Basic Adverbs

Parli bene l'italiano.: You speak Italian well.
Torno subito.: I'll be right back.
Abita qui vicino.: He lives near here.
Ho già mangiato.: I've already eaten.

Bene and male are the adverbs for well and badly. Buono and cattivo are adjectives and cannot replace them.

Quantity

Questo vestito è troppo caro.: This dress is too expensive.
Mi piace molto.: I like it a lot.

Molto, poco, and troppo are invariable when they are adverbs, before an adjective or after a verb.

How Italian Adverbs Are Formed and Placed

Forming -mente adverbs follows two spelling rules. Placement follows one general rule with a few short exceptions.

Feminine Adjective + -mente

For adjectives in -o, use the feminine form in -a and add -mente: lento, lenta, lentamente; sicuro, sicura, sicuramente. Adjectives in -e have only one singular form, so you add -mente directly: veloce, velocemente.

Guida lentamente, per favore.

Drive slowly, please.

lenta + mente.

Adjectives in -le and -re Drop the E

If the adjective ends in -le or -re after a vowel, drop the final e before adding -mente: facile, facilmente; gentile, gentilmente; particolare, particolarmente.

Si arrabbia facilmente.

He gets angry easily.

facil(e) + mente.

After the Verb

Most adverbs follow the verb they modify. English can say she quickly answered, but Italian normally says ha risposto velocemente.

Mia figlia parla bene l'inglese.

My daughter speaks English well.

verb + adverb.

Short Adverbs Inside Compound Tenses

Già, ancora, sempre, mai, and appena usually go between the auxiliary and the past participle. Adverbs in -mente and most adverbs of place go after the participle.

Non ho ancora finito.

I haven't finished yet.

ho + già / ancora + participle.

Before an Adjective, No Agreement

When molto, poco, troppo, or tanto modify an adjective, they are adverbs and never change: molto bella, molto belli. When they modify a noun, they are adjectives and agree: molti libri, molta pazienza.

Le lezioni sono molto interessanti.

The lessons are very interesting.

molto + adjective: invariable.

Common Mistakes with Adverbs

Incorrect: Lei è molta bella. (She is very beautiful.)

Correct: Lei è molto bella. (She is very beautiful.)

Before an adjective, molto is an adverb and never agrees. Molta is only correct before a feminine noun: molta pazienza.

Incorrect: Parli buono l'italiano. (You speak Italian well.)

Correct: Parli bene l'italiano. (You speak Italian well.)

Buono is an adjective and describes nouns. To say how you do something, use the adverb bene.

Incorrect: Lo fa facilemente. (He does it easily.)

Correct: Lo fa facilmente. (He does it easily.)

Adjectives in -le drop the final e before -mente. The same applies to gentile (gentilmente) and normale (normalmente).

Incorrect: Corre velocamente. (He runs fast.)

Correct: Corre velocemente. (He runs fast.)

Veloce ends in -e and has no feminine form in -a. Add -mente directly to veloce.

Adverbs Without -mente

Italian often uses a plain adjective form as an adverb, and the basic adverbs have their own comparative and superlative forms.

Adjectives used as adverbs

A number of adjectives work as adverbs in their masculine singular form, with no -mente and no agreement.

Parla piano, il bambino dorme.: Speak quietly, the baby is asleep.
Lavora sodo tutti i giorni.: He works hard every day.
Questa macchina va forte.: This car goes fast.
Parliamoci chiaro.: Let's be frank.

Piano can mean quietly or slowly. Forte can mean loudly, fast, or hard, depending on the verb.

Better, worse, very well

Bene and male have irregular comparatives, meglio and peggio, and take -issimo for the superlative: benissimo, malissimo.

Oggi sto meglio.: I feel better today.
Ho dormito malissimo.: I slept really badly.
Come stai? Benissimo, grazie.: How are you? Very well, thanks.

Meglio is an adverb and migliore is an adjective: sto meglio, but un risultato migliore.

Quick Check: Adverbs

Form the adverb or choose the right word.

1. Form the adverb: tranquillo

Answer: tranquillamente

Feminine tranquilla + mente.

2. Form the adverb: probabile

Answer: probabilmente

Drop the e of -le.

3. Form the adverb: semplice

Answer: semplicemente

Adjective in -e: add -mente directly.

4. Complete: Questa pizza è ___ buona. (very)

Answer: molto

Before an adjective, molto does not agree.

5. Translate: I've already seen the film.

Answer: Ho già visto il film.

Già goes between ho and visto.

Adverbs FAQs

How do you form adverbs in Italian?: Take the feminine singular of the adjective and add -mente: lenta gives lentamente, sicura gives sicuramente. Adjectives in -e add -mente directly (veloce, velocemente), and adjectives in -le or -re drop the e first (facile, facilmente; regolare, regolarmente).
Where do adverbs go in an Italian sentence?: Usually right after the verb: parla bene, mangia troppo. In compound tenses, short adverbs such as già, ancora, sempre, and mai go between the auxiliary and the past participle: ho già mangiato. Most other adverbs go after the participle: ha risposto gentilmente.
Do Italian adverbs agree with the noun?: No. Adverbs are invariable. The confusion comes from words such as molto, poco, and troppo, which can be adjectives or adverbs. As adjectives they agree (molti amici), and as adverbs they do not (molto stanchi).
What is the difference between bene and buono?: Bene is an adverb and tells you how something is done: canta bene, she sings well. Buono is an adjective and describes a noun: una buona cantante, a good singer. For food, buono means tasty: la pasta è buona.
What are the most common Italian adverbs?: Some of the most frequent are bene, male, molto, poco, troppo, così, già, ancora, sempre, mai, subito, presto, tardi, oggi, domani, qui, lì, forse, and proprio. Learn these as vocabulary, because none of them comes from a -mente pattern.