Adverbs of time
Ya, todavía, aún, nunca
ya · alreadyYAH eh koh-MEE-doh · “I’ve already eaten.”Why: ya usually comes first.
Yaalreadyhe comido.I-have eaten
ya no · no longeryah NOH BEE-beh ah-KEE · “He doesn’t live here any more.”Why: ya no + verb.
Ya nono longervivehe-livesaquí.here
todavía · stilltoh-dah-BEE-ah es-TAH dor-MEE-dah · “She’s still asleep.”Why: aún means the same; aún without an accent means “even”.
Todavíastillestáshe-isdormida.asleep
todavía no · not yettoh-dah-BEE-ah NOH ah yeh-GAH-doh · “He hasn’t arrived yet.”Why: Also: aún no.
Todavía nonot yetha llegado.he-has arrived
Three distances, not two
Aquí, ahí, allí
| Adverb | Say it | Where | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| aquí | ah-KEE | here, near me | este (this) |
| ahí | ah-EE | there, near you | ese (that) |
| allí | ah-YEE | over there, far from both | aquel (that, over there) |
Everyday adverbs
Bien, mucho, muy, también
Manner¿cómo? · how?
Quantity¿cuánto? · how much?
Frequency¿cuándo? · how often?
Agreementalso, either
Esit-ismuyverycaro.expensiveCuestait-costsmucho.a-lot
Where adverbs go
Siempre desayuno, desayuno siempre
Spanish adverbs are freer than English ones: most can go before or after the verb. Put the one you want to stress at the end.
Before the verbSYEM-preh deh-sah-YOO-noh kah-FEH · “I always have coffee for breakfast.”Why: Neutral.
SiemprealwaysdesayunoI-have-breakfastcafé.coffee
At the enddeh-sah-YOO-noh kah-FEH SYEM-preh · “I always have coffee for breakfast.”Why: Stress on siempre: every single day.
DesayunoI-have-breakfastcafécoffeesiempre.always
Nunca before the verbNOON-kah KOH-moh KAR-neh · “I never eat meat.”Why: Before the verb, nunca needs no extra no.
NuncanevercomoI-eatcarne.meat
Nunca after the verbnoh KOH-moh NOON-kah KAR-neh · “I never eat meat.”Why: After the verb, put no in front: the double negative is correct Spanish.
NonotcomoI-eatnuncanevercarne.meat
Small adverbs that change meaning
Casi, apenas, incluso, sólo
Keep going