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Forming adverbs with '-mente'

In English, you can turn many adjectives into adverbs simply by adding the suffix -ly. For example, you take the adjective perfect and turn it into the adverb perfectly. Spanish does the exact same thing using the suffix -mente.

As a native English speaker, you will probably recognize many of these adverbs instantly. Words like generalmente and obviamente look and sound a lot like their English equivalents. However, building these words from scratch involves a few minor spelling rules, and putting them together in a list comes with a special quirk that often catches learners out.

Word list
afortunadamenteA2 fortunately afortunado → afortunada → afortunadamente anualmenteA2 yearly anual → anual → anualmente aproximadamenteA2 approximately aproximado → aproximada → aproximadamente claramenteA2 obviously claro → clara → claramente desafortunadamenteA2 unfortunately desafortunado → desafortunada → desafortunadamente desgraciadamenteA2 unfortunately desgraciado → desgraciada → desgraciadamente diariamenteA2 daily diario → diaria → diariamente especialmenteA2 especially especial → especial → especialmente evidentementeA2 obviously evidente → evidente → evidentemente fácilmenteA2 easily fácil → fácil → fácilmente finalmenteA2 finally final → final → finalmente frecuentementeA2 often frecuente → frecuente → frecuentemente generalmenteA2 usually general → general → generalmente gratuitamenteA2 for free gratuito → gratuita → gratuitamente inmediatamenteA2 immediately inmediato → inmediata → inmediatamente lentamenteA2 slowly lento → lenta → lentamente mensualmenteA2 monthly mensual → mensual → mensualmente normalmenteA2 usually normal → normal → normalmente obviamenteA2 obviously obvio → obvia → obviamente primeramenteA2 first primero → primera → primeramente probablementeA2 probably probable → probable → probablemente rápidamenteA2 fast rápido → rápida → rápidamente realmenteA2 really real → real → realmente recientementeA2 recently reciente → reciente → recientemente semanalmenteA2 weekly semanal → semanal → semanalmente solamenteA2 only solo → sola → solamente últimamenteA2 recently último → última → últimamente usualmenteA2 usually usual → usual → usualmente anteriormenteB1 previously anterior → anterior → anteriormente atentamenteB1 carefully atento → atenta → atentamente cariñosamenteB1 fondly cariñoso → cariñosa → cariñosamente cautelosamenteB1 cautiously cauteloso → cautelosa → cautelosamente ciertamenteB1 definitely cierto → cierta → ciertamente completamenteB1 completely completo → completa → completamente cuidadosamenteB1 carefully cuidadoso → cuidadosa → cuidadosamente difícilmenteB1 barely difícil → difícil → difícilmente (keeps the accent) directamenteB1 directly directo → directa → directamente escasamenteB1 barely escaso → escasa → escasamente exactamenteB1 exactly exacto → exacta → exactamente habitualmenteB1 usually habitual → habitual → habitualmente indirectamenteB1 indirectly indirecto → indirecta → indirectamente intencionalmenteB1 intentionally intencional → intencional → intencionalmente justamenteB1 exactly justo → justa → justamente lamentablementeB1 unfortunately lamentable → lamentable → lamentablemente meticulosamenteB1 carefully meticuloso → meticulosa → meticulosamente minuciosamenteB1 carefully minucioso → minuciosa → minuciosamente nuevamenteB1 again nuevo → nueva → nuevamente particularmenteB1 especially particular → particular → particularmente perfectamenteB1 perfectly perfecto → perfecta → perfectamente precisamenteB1 exactly preciso → precisa → precisamente previamenteB1 previously previo → previa → previamente principalmenteB1 mainly principal → principal → principalmente reiteradamenteB1 repeatedly reiterado → reiterada → reiteradamente repentinamenteB1 suddenly repentino → repentina → repentinamente repetidamenteB1 repeatedly repetido → repetida → repetidamente seguramenteB1 definitely seguro → segura → seguramente (often means 'probably') simultáneamenteB1 at the same time simultáneo → simultánea → simultáneamente totalmenteB1 completely total → total → totalmente tristementeB1 unfortunately triste → triste → tristemente afectuosamenteB2 fondly afectuoso → afectuosa → afectuosamente aparentementeB2 apparently aparente → aparente → aparentemente apresuradamenteB2 hurriedly apresurado → apresurada → apresuradamente casualmenteB2 by chance casual → casual → casualmente cotidianamenteB2 daily cotidiano → cotidiana → cotidianamente definitivamenteB2 for good definitivo → definitiva → definitivamente enteramenteB2 completely entero → entera → enteramente hábilmenteB2 skillfully hábil → hábil → hábilmente inicialmenteB2 at first inicial → inicial → inicialmente intencionadamenteB2 intentionally intencionado → intencionada → intencionadamente literalmenteB2 literally literal → literal → literalmente mayormenteB2 mainly mayor → mayor → mayormente pacientementeB2 patiently paciente → paciente → pacientemente posteriormenteB2 afterwards posterior → posterior → posteriormente súbitamenteB2 suddenly súbito → súbita → súbitamente trimestralmenteB2 quarterly trimestral → trimestral → trimestralmente voluntariamenteB2 willingly voluntario → voluntaria → voluntariamente figuradamenteC1 figuratively figurado → figurada → figuradamente figurativamenteC1 figuratively figurativo → figurativa → figurativamente sabiamenteC1 wisely sabio → sabia → sabiamente separadamenteC1 separately separado → separada → separadamente
Starting with the feminine form

When a Spanish adjective ends in -o, you cannot just stick -mente onto the end of the masculine form. You must change the adjective to its feminine singular form first. For instance, to make the adverb for perfecto, you start with the feminine perfecta and then add the suffix to get perfectamente. You use this same pattern for words like exactamente and completamente.

If the adjective ends in -e or a consonant, the masculine and feminine forms are already identical. In these cases, you just add -mente directly to the adjective, as seen with words like frecuentemente or literalmente.

Entiendo la lección perfectamente.
(I understand the lesson perfectly.)
Eso es exactamente lo que dije.
(That is exactly what I said.)
Generalmente ceno a las ocho.
(I generally eat dinner at eight.)
Keeping the accent mark

Usually in Spanish, adding extra syllables to the end of a word can change where the written accent goes or cause it to disappear entirely. Adverbs ending in -mente are a notable exception. If the original adjective has an accent mark, you keep it exactly where it is.

Because the adjectives fácil and rápido have written accents, their adverb forms fácilmente and rápidamente keep them. This helps you remember how to pronounce them, as you stress both the original accented syllable and the -men part of the suffix.

Aprobó el examen fácilmente.
(He passed the exam easily.)
Tienes que actuar rápidamente en una emergencia.
(You have to act fast in an emergency.)
Lists of adverbs

The biggest quirk for English speakers happens when you use two or more -mente adverbs together in a list. In English, you would say something like slowly and carefully, repeating the -ly ending each time. In Spanish, it is considered clumsy and repetitive to use -mente over and over again.

To fix this, you simply drop the -mente from all but the final adverb in the list. The earlier adverbs stay in their feminine singular adjective form. So, instead of saying lenta y cuidadosamente, you say lenta y cuidadosamente. The final -mente applies to both words.

Caminamos lenta y cuidadosamente por el pasillo oscuro.
(We walked slowly and carefully down the dark hallway.)
Resolvieron el problema rápida y fácilmente.
(They solved the problem quickly and easily.)
Summary

To form an adverb, add -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective and keep any original written accents. When linking two or more of these adverbs with y, only attach -mente to the very last one.