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 |
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.
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.
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.
- Adjectives OverviewA1 — How adjectives work in European Portuguese: agreement, placement, types, comparison, and invariable forms.