Adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese are used to modify verbsNo definition set for verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adjectivesNo definition set for adjectivesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and also other adverbs in order to describe when, where, or how something is done or an event occurs. Adverbs provide additional details or give more emphasis to the sentence, as in:
Nós comemos muito no almoço.
Adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese are classified into various categories based on their purpose, including time, frequency, place, manner, intensity, negation, and more. Many Brazilian Portuguese adverbs end in -mente, which corresponds to the English ending “-ly,” as in:
Eu raramente durmo tarde.
Adverbs can be a single word, like hoje(today), or they can be multiple words, like em breve(soon). Keep reading this post to find out more about the diverse forms and contexts in which adverbs are used in Brazilian Portuguese!
How to form an adverb in Brazilian Portuguese?
To form adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese, you can add the ending -mente to an adjective. However, some adverbs have other structures. Compound adverbs are made of multiple words, while in other cases you can simply use an adjective as an adverb.
Unlike nounsNo definition set for nounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adjectivesNo definition set for adjectivesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., and some pronounsNo definition set for pronounsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., adverbs do not change or vary in numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. They remain the same regardless of the gender or number of the noun they modify or the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. they refer to. Now let's explore the most common patterns to form an adverb. This will help you to recognize them!
How to form adverbs using the ending ‘-mente’?
One of the most common ways to form adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese is by adding the suffix -mente to the feminine singular form of an adjective. They are equivalent to the English adverbs ending “-ly.”
See the steps to build these adverbs below:
Take the feminine form of the adjective: rápido ⇒ rápida
Add the ending -mente to the feminine adjective: rapidamente.
Os corredores completaram a maratona rapidamente.
The runners completed the marathon quickly.
It's important to note that adverbs ending in -mente never receive a written accent, even when they come from adjectives that do have a written accent, as in rápido → rapidamente.
In Brazilian Portuguese, some adjectives don't vary in gender, and they have the same form for both masculine and feminine. These usually end in -a, -e, -l, -or, -ar , -s, -z, and -m, like feliz(happy), triste(sad), and fácil(easy).
When forming adverbs from these adjectives, we simply keep the adjective in its neutral form, and add the suffix -mente.
Felizmente, nós pagamos um bom preço neste carro.
Fortunately, we paid a good price for this car.
If you want to know more about the gender and number of adjectives in Brazilian Portuguese, don't miss our post on this subject!
What are compound adverbs?
Compound adverbs are adverbs that are made of more than one word. For example:
De repente, começou a chover.
Suddenly it started to rain.
→ Da repente is a compound adverb made of the preposition de(to, from) and the noun repente(sudden).
Às vezes Jorge vai ao trabalho de carro.
Sometimes Jorge goes to work by car.
→ Às vezes is a compound adverb made of the preposition às(to the) and the noun vezes(times) .
Did you know that you can also turn adverbs ending in -mente into compound adverbs? In Brazilian Portuguese, there's a special construction where you can use the preposition com(with) followed by a noun to express the same thing.
adverb with -mente
Os alunos aprenderam a lição facilmente.
The students learned the lesson easily.
compound adverb (com + noun)
Os alunos aprenderam a lição com facilidade.
The students learned the lesson with ease.
How to use adjectives as adverbs?
Some adjectives can function as adverbs without any modifications; in this case, we simply use the base form of the adjective as an adverb.
Por favor, fale baixo no hospital.
Please, speak low at the hospital.
A mãe pediu para o filho se trocar rápido para ir à escola.
The mother asked her son to get changed quickly to go to school.
In the first example, baixo(low) is an adjective, and it's used as an adverb to indicate how people are supposed to speak at the hospital. In the second example, rápido(quick) is an adjective too, and it describes how fast the action should be performed. They are used similarly to the adverbs ending in -mente, and are commonly used in everyday and informal speech. Take a look at this list where you can see the most common adjectives that function as adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese with examples!
Where to place adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese?
As a general rule, adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese are often placed after the element they modify. However, there are some variations depending on the type of adverb and the emphasis you want to give to certain elements in the sentence. Here are the common rules for placing adverbs in a sentence:
Adverbs modifying verbs
Adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese are usually placed after the verb they modify, even in compound tenses.
verbadverb
Isabela lê constantemente.
Isabela reads constantly.
Eu moro aqui neste bairro há 12 anos.
I have lived here in this neighborhood for 12 years.
I have been studying a lot.
When the sentence contains a direct object, the adverb is usually placed after the direct object.
verbdirect objectadverb
Bruno consertou a mesa cuidadosamente.
Bruno set the table carefully.
Adverbs modifying adjectives or other adverbs
In this case, the adverb is usually placed before the adjective or adverb they modify:
adverbadjective
Paula é muito inteligente.
Paula is very intelligent.
adverb (modifier)adverb (modified)
Cristiano quase sempre chega atrasado nas reuniões.
Cristiano is almost always late for meetings.
Adverbs that refer to time
These adverbs are very flexible, as they can be placed at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.
Yesterday, I went to the cinema.
I went to the cinema yesterday.
Both structures above are correct and there is no change in meaning. These rules can have variations depending on the specific context and the order you want to follow. This is an interesting topic, so if you want to know more about sentence structure in Brazilian Portuguese, don't miss our post on this subject!
In written Brazilian Portuguese, it's optional to use a comma ( , ) when the adverb of time is at the beginning at the sentence, as in:
Ontem, eu fui ao cinema.
Ontem eu fui ao cinema.
Yesterday, I went to the cinema.
However, when using a compound adverb, it is recommended to use a comma, as in:
Ontem à tarde, eu fui ao cinema.
Yesterday afternoon, I went to the cinema.
On the other hand, when the adverb appears at the end of the sentence, we don't use the comma in any case:
I went to the cinema yesterday.
Eu fui ao cinema ontem à tarde.
I went to the cinema yesterday afternoon.
What are the types of adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, adverbs can be categorized into several types based on their function and the information they provide. The most important groups are adverbs of quantity/intensity, manner, frequency, time, place, negation, affirmation, and doubt, as well as interrogative and relative adverbs.
Let's get to know the common types of adverbs and when we use them.
You can check out our handy list of the most common adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese divided by type for some more examples!
How to use adverbs of quantity or intensity?
Use adverbs of quantity or intensity to indicate the amount or extent of something. They are used to answer the question how much/many?
Vamos logo, não temos muito tempo.
Come on, we don't have much time.
As crianças brincaram bastante.
The children played a lot.
How to use adverbs of manner?
Use adverbs of manner to describe the manner in which, or how, an action is performed.
Os alunos entenderam o tema facilmente.
The students understood the topic easily.
Por favor, dirija devagar.
How to use adverbs of frequency?
Use adverbs of frequency to indicate how often an action is performed.
João raramente trabalha aos domingos.
João rarely works on Sundays.
As these adverbs indicate the frequency or regularity of an action, they are usually associated with routine and describing the day or date when something happens. If you want to know more about this topic, don't miss our post on how to talk about dates in Brazilian Portuguese!
How to use adverbs of time?
Use adverbs of time to indicate when an action takes place.
Patrícia tomou um chá de ervas hoje de manhã.
Patricia had some herbal tea this morning.
Notice that the adverbs hoje(today) and de manhã(this morning) provide information about the specific time or period of time related to the action. But if you want to know how to tell the time in Brazilian Portuguese, including the pronunciation of hours and minutes, don't miss our post on this subject!
How to use adverbs of place?
Adverbs of place are used to indicate where an action occurs. The words aqui, aí, and ali are adverbs of place in Brazilian Portuguese that indicate different levels of proximity to the speaker.
Eu moro aqui nesta casa há muitos anos.
I've lived here in this house for many years.
Carol, quando você vai lá na casa da Tatiana?
Carol, when are you going there to Tatiana's house?
aqui(here)
In the example above, the adverb aqui(here) refers to a location that is close to the speaker or the current point of reference. If I say aqui em casa, it means that I am speaking about my house from inside the home.
aí(there)
On the other hand, aí refers to a location that is close to the listener or the person being addressed, as in:
O casaco está aí no armário do seu quarto.
The coat is over there in your bedroom closet.
ali(there)
Ali also means “there,” but it refers to a location that is further from both the speaker and the listener.
O ponto de ônibus fica ali, do outro lado da rua.
The bus stop is there, across the street.
The adverb lá(there) is quite similar to ali(there), since they both refer to a further location. However, ali usually indicates a distance within eyesight, whereas lá indicates a distance out of sight.
O restaurante fica ali, naquela rua.
The restaurant is there, on that street.
A escola fica lá, do outro lado da cidade.
The school is there, on the other side of the city.
How to use adverbs of negation?
Use adverbs of negation to express disagreement in negative sentences.
Paula não irá viajar conosco.
Paula will not be traveling with us.
Já está tarde, e não vou sair de jeito nenhum!
It's late, and there's no way I'm going out!
Essa noite eu não dormi nada.
Last night I didn't sleep at all.
How to use adverbs of affirmation?
Contrary to adverbs of negation, adverbs of affirmation are used to express agreement and are used in affirmative sentences to reiterate or confirm an occurrence.
Certamente vai fazer muito calor neste verão.
It will certainly be very hot this summer.
As denúncias foram efetivamente confirmadas.
The allegations were effectively confirmed.
Com certeza voltaremos naquele restaurante.
We will definitely return to that restaurant.
How to use adverbs of doubt?
Use adverbs of doubt to express uncertainty.
Talvez vamos à praia nas férias.
Maybe we'll go to the beach on vacation.
Supostamente, eles seriam os campeões do torneio.
Supposedly they would be the champions of the tournament.
Provavelmente, a encomenda chegará amanhã.
The parcel will probably arrive tomorrow.
How to use interrogative adverbs?
Some interrogatives are adverbs, and they are used to form questions about a specific adverbial information about an action, event, or situation. They are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Quando vocês vão se mudar?
When are you going to move?
Por que ele está chorando?
How to use relative adverbs?
Relative adverbs are used to connect relative clausesNo definition set for relative clausesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. to the main clauseNo definition set for main clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in a sentence.
main clauserelative adverbrelative clause
Quero visitar a escola onde eu estudei.
I want to visit the school where I studied.
In the example above, notice that the relative adverb onde(where) connects the main clause to the subordinate clause to complete the meaning of the sentence.
How to use confusing adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, some adverbs can have similar spellings or subtle differences in usage, making them confusing to use. Let's take a look at some adverbs that you may have come across before, but want to make sure when to use them.
How to use the adverbs ‘tão’ and ‘tanto’?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the adverbs tão(so) and tanto(so much) can both function as intensifiers in a sentence, meaning that they add emphasis or express that something was extreme. While they are both translated as “so” in English, which one you should use depends on the sentence structure.
Tão is used before adverbs and adjectives:
adjectiveadverb
Your house is so beautiful!
Tanto, on the other hand, appears after verbs.
verb
Nós andamos tanto que ficamos exaustos.
We walked so much that we got exhausted.
The word tanto is not always an adverb. Tanto(so many) can be also be used as an indefinite adjective, as in:
noun
Eu tirei tantas fotos na viagem!
I took so many photos on the trip!
In this case, tanto can vary in gender and number, as in the example above, in which tantas refers to the feminine plural noun fotos(photos).
noun
Há tantos dias que não falo com você!
It's been so many days since I've spoken to you!
Notice that the masculine form is tanto(singular) and tantos(plural), and the feminine is tanta(singular) and tantas(plural).
What are the various meanings of ‘bem’
The adverb bem has more than one meaning, and it can be used in different contexts. Let’s check them below!
Bem as an adverb of manner
Bem is used to indicate how an action is performed or how someone feels. It’s translated into “well” in English:
Bem as “quite” or “very”
Bem is often used in everyday language to convey the idea of intensity of an action or quality. In this case, it's often translated into “quite” or “very” in English.
Eu moro bem perto do trabalho.
I live very close to work.
Bem for accuracy
It's also possible to use bem to indicate accuracy, as in:
Você chegou bem na hora que íamos cortar o bolo.
You arrived just in time for us to cut the cake.
Notice that bem in the context above is translated into “just” or “right” in English.
How to use the adverbs of intensity ‘bastante,’ ‘muito,’ and ‘demais’?
The adverbs of intensity muito, bastante, and demais are commonly used in Brazilian Portuguese to express a high degree or intensity of something. Let's see how to use each of them, as they have different meanings.
Bastante
Use bastante to indicate a considerable or sufficient amount. It can be translated as “quite” or “enough” in English.
Esta sobremesa é bastante doce.
This dessert is quite sweet.
Bastante doce means that the dessert is sweet enough, but not excessively so. Bastante can also be substituted by the intensifier bem, as in:
Esta sobremesa é bem doce.
This dessert is quite sweet.
Muito
Muito is quite similar to bastante, but it slightly indicates a higher degree or intensity. It can be translated as “very” or “much” in English, as in.
Esta sobremesa é muito doce.
This dessert is very sweet.
Demais
Demais is used to express an excessive degree. It can be translated as “too” or “excessively” in English.
Esta sobremesa é doce demais.
This dessert is too sweet.
Notice that demais has an exception: it must always come at the end of the entire verb phrase, and after the direct object or adjective that comes with the verb.
verb phrase
A música está alta demais.
Estamos cansados porque hoje caminhamos demais.
We are tired because today we walked too much.
To sum up
In this post, we saw that:
Adverbs are invariable in Brazilian Portuguese, which means that they don't vary in number and gender, like nouns and adjectives.
Adverbs can be formed in different ways:
by adding the suffix -mente to the feminine form of an adjective
from multiple words (“compound adverbs”)
by using an adjective to function as an adverb
Adverbs are positioned in a sentence according to the word they modified:
When an adverb modifies a verb, it's usually placed after it.
When an adverb modifies an adjective or another adverb, it usually comes before that word.
Adverbs referring to time and place are very flexible, and can be placed at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
Adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese are classified according to their function in the sentence. They can express intensity, quantity, manner, time, place, negation, affirmation, doubt, questions, and can also function as connectors in relative clauses.
Now that you know more, let’s practice using adverbs in Brazilian Portuguese with some activities!
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