The productive Portuguese way to turn an adjective into a manner adverb is to add -mente to it — rápido → rapidamente, claro → claramente, feliz → felizmente. This is the direct equivalent of English -ly (quick → quickly), and it works with almost any gradable adjective in the language.
The rule is simple, but it has three wrinkles that catch learners: the adjective must be in its feminine singular form; the graphic accent of the adjective is lost on the derived adverb (even though a secondary stress remains); and in a list of two or more -mente adverbs, only the last one keeps the ending. Get those three mechanics right and you have a productive tool for building new vocabulary instantly.
The rule
Step 1: Take the feminine singular of the adjective
Adjectives that have distinct masculine and feminine forms must be put in the feminine before -mente is added.
| Adjective (masculine) | Feminine | Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| rápido | rápida | rapidamente | quickly |
| lento | lenta | lentamente | slowly |
| sincero | sincera | sinceramente | sincerely |
| claro | clara | claramente | clearly |
| honesto | honesta | honestamente | honestly |
| novo | nova | novamente | again, newly |
| ótimo | ótima | otimamente | excellently |
Ela respondeu claramente à pergunta do professor.
She answered the teacher's question clearly.
Ele saiu rapidamente da sala.
He quickly left the room.
Step 2: For invariable adjectives, just add -mente
Adjectives with a single form for both genders (ending in -e, -l, -z, -m, -ar, -or, etc.) take -mente directly.
| Adjective | Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| feliz | felizmente | fortunately, happily |
| triste | tristemente | sadly |
| fácil | facilmente | easily |
| normal | normalmente | normally |
| regular | regularmente | regularly |
| simples | simplesmente | simply |
| geral | geralmente | generally |
| comum | comummente | commonly |
Felizmente, ninguém ficou ferido no acidente.
Fortunately, no one was hurt in the accident.
Normalmente, almoço em casa.
Normally, I have lunch at home.
Ela resolveu o problema facilmente.
She solved the problem easily.
The accent rule
The single most frequently forgotten detail: the graphic accent of the adjective is lost in the adverb. Rápido has a written acute; rapidamente does not. Fácil has a written acute; facilmente does not. Último has a written acute; ultimamente does not. Cómodo has a written circumflex (PT-PT) or acute (AO90 PT-PT); comodamente has neither.
The reason is phonetic: the adjective's original stress survives as a secondary stress in the adverb (you can still hear the RÁ of rapidamente), but the primary stress of the adverb falls on the -mente itself, specifically the -men-. Portuguese orthography only writes accents on the primary stressed syllable of a word, so the secondary stress goes unmarked.
| Adjective | Adverb | Note |
|---|---|---|
| rápido | rapidamente | acute lost |
| fácil | facilmente | acute lost |
| último | ultimamente | acute lost |
| público | publicamente | acute lost |
| lícito | licitamente | acute lost |
| só | somente | acute lost (and form is irregular) |
Ultimamente, não tenho tido tempo para nada.
Lately, I haven't had time for anything.
Publicamente, ele apoia o governo; em privado, é muito crítico.
Publicly, he supports the government; in private, he's very critical.
O livro foi facilmente o melhor que li este ano.
The book was easily the best I read this year.
The list rule — -mente omission
When two or more -mente adverbs appear coordinated in the same clause (usually joined by e, ou, or a comma), Portuguese drops the -mente from all but the last one. The dropped adverb appears in its feminine adjective form.
Ela falou clara e rapidamente.
She spoke clearly and quickly.
O ladrão agiu rápida, silenciosa e eficazmente.
The thief acted quickly, silently and efficiently.
Temos de resolver isto urgente mas calmamente.
We have to solve this urgently but calmly.
This is not optional when the adverbs modify the same verb; it is the default. Repeating -mente on each one (rapidamente e silenciosamente) is grammatical but clunky, and native PT-PT avoids it.
When -mente is NOT used
Not every manner idea in Portuguese is expressed with a -mente adverb. Several patterns are more natural:
Adverbial phrases are preferred over forced -mente
Some adjectives sound awkward or stilted with -mente, so Portuguese reaches for an adverbial phrase instead:
| Instead of (awkward) | Use | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| *repentemente | de repente / subitamente | suddenly |
| *tarde-mente | tardiamente | belatedly (tarde alone is still a good adverb) |
| *finalmente (as "at last") | por fim / finalmente | finally (both are fine; por fim is more conversational) |
| *pouco-mente | pouco, um pouco | little, a little |
Repentinamente is the acceptable -mente form, built from a slightly different adjective (repentino), and subitamente (from súbito) is also fine. But the set phrase de repente is still the most idiomatic in conversation.
De repente, as luzes apagaram-se.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
Por fim, conseguimos chegar ao topo.
At last, we managed to reach the top.
Simple lexical adverbs exist alongside -mente forms
Many common adverbs have short, non--mente versions that are more natural:
| -mente form | Short form | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| rapidamente | depressa, rápido | depressa is the most idiomatic in speech |
| lentamente | devagar | devagar is the default in speech |
| bastantemente (rare) | bastante | bastante is already an adverb |
| muitamente (does not exist) | muito | muito cannot take -mente |
| bemmente (does not exist) | bem | bem is its own adverb |
Fala devagar, por favor — não percebo bem.
Speak slowly, please — I don't understand well.
Anda, despacha-te, depressa!
Come on, hurry up, quickly!
-mente adverbs with non-literal meanings
A handful of -mente adverbs have drifted semantically. Do not translate them word for word.
| Adverb | Literal | Actual meaning |
|---|---|---|
| francamente | frankly | frankly, openly — NOT "in a French way" |
| realmente | really | really, in fact — NOT "royally" |
| nomeadamente | "namedly" | namely, specifically |
| justamente | justly | precisely, exactly (more common than "fairly") |
| pontualmente | punctually | on occasion, from time to time (in some PT-PT uses) — context-dependent |
| certamente | certainly | probably, most likely (softer than English "certainly") |
| efetivamente | effectively | indeed, in fact — NOT "by means of" or "successfully" |
| naturalmente | naturally | of course, obviously (marker of agreement) |
| evidentemente | evidently | obviously (stronger than English) |
Francamente, não acredito numa palavra do que ele disse.
Frankly, I don't believe a word of what he said.
Ele é, nomeadamente, o melhor jogador da equipa.
He is, specifically, the best player on the team.
É justamente isso que eu queria dizer!
That's exactly what I wanted to say!
Efetivamente, o comboio chegou atrasado.
Indeed, the train arrived late.
Certamente is worth flagging: in English "certainly" is emphatic and means "definitely." In PT-PT certamente is softer, closer to "probably" or "I expect so." Ele certamente já chegou means "he has probably already arrived," not "he has certainly arrived."
Comparatives and superlatives of -mente adverbs
-mente adverbs form their comparative and superlative analytically, with mais and menos:
Fala mais claramente, por favor.
Speak more clearly, please.
Ele trabalha menos cuidadosamente do que o irmão.
He works less carefully than his brother.
Ela cozinhou o mais rapidamente possível.
She cooked as quickly as possible.
Note the PT-PT idiom o mais X possível — a standard way to say "as X as possible." Learners often try to calque English word-for-word and produce ❌ tão rapidamente como possível; the natural PT-PT is o mais rapidamente possível.
Common mistakes
❌ Ele falou rapidomente.
The adverb takes the *feminine* singular of the adjective, not the masculine.
✅ Ele falou rapidamente.
He spoke quickly.
❌ Ela agiu rápidamente.
The graphic accent of the adjective is lost in the adverb.
✅ Ela agiu rapidamente.
She acted quickly.
❌ Ele falou claramente e rapidamente.
In a list of coordinated *-mente* adverbs, only the last one keeps the ending.
✅ Ele falou clara e rapidamente.
He spoke clearly and quickly.
❌ A Maria canta muitamente bem.
*Muito* cannot take *-mente*; it is already an adverb.
✅ A Maria canta muito bem.
Maria sings very well.
❌ Elas cantaram bonitamentemente.
Some adjectives take *-mente* productively; others feel forced. *Belamente* (from *belo*) is the natural form.
✅ Elas cantaram belamente. / Elas cantaram muito bem.
They sang beautifully.
❌ Ele tem-se comportado boamente.
*Bem* is already an adverb; *boamente* exists but means 'willingly, readily,' not 'well.'
✅ Ele tem-se comportado bem.
He has been behaving well.
❌ Certamente vou amanhã. (to mean 'definitely')
PT-PT *certamente* is weaker than English 'certainly' — it leans toward 'probably.' To say 'definitely,' use *com certeza* or *sem dúvida*.
✅ Com certeza vou amanhã. / Sem dúvida vou amanhã.
I'll definitely go tomorrow.
Key takeaways
- Form -mente adverbs from the feminine singular of the adjective: rápida + mente → rapidamente.
- Adjectives with one form for both genders take -mente directly: feliz → felizmente.
- The graphic accent of the adjective disappears in the adverb (último → ultimamente), though a secondary stress remains audible.
- In a list, only the last -mente adverb keeps the ending: clara e rapidamente.
- Portuguese prefers adverbial phrases (de repente, por fim, pouco a pouco) and short lexical adverbs (bem, mal, devagar, depressa) over forced -mente forms.
- Watch out for -mente adverbs with shifted meanings: certamente is softer than "certainly," nomeadamente means "namely," francamente means "frankly."
- Comparatives: mais X-mente / menos X-mente; the idiom o mais X possível for "as X as possible."
Related Topics
- Adverbs OverviewA2 — Introduction to Portuguese adverbs — what they are, the main semantic classes, how they are formed, and how European Portuguese adverbs differ from their English equivalents.
- Adverbs of MannerA2 — How things are done in Portuguese — bem, mal, assim, devagar, depressa, the -mente family, and the prepositional phrases that do most of the heavy lifting in everyday PT-PT speech.
- Adverbial PhrasesB1 — Multi-word adverbial expressions (locuções adverbiais) in European Portuguese — how they are built, the most common ones by category, when they replace -mente adverbs, and the colloquial reflex that makes PT-PT speech sound native.
- Adverbs vs Adjectives: Common ConfusionsB1 — When to use the adverb form and when the adjective in European Portuguese — bem vs bom, the invariable adverbial use of alto, baixo, and rápido, the English-to-Portuguese mismatches, and the places English speakers consistently trip up.
- Adjective Gender AgreementA1 — How Portuguese adjectives change to agree with masculine and feminine nouns, plus the common irregular patterns.