Adverbs From Adjectives
An adverb describes a verb: Hún syngur fallega (She sings beautifully). Most adverbs are made from adjectives.
How It Works
Adjective or adverb? An adjective describes a person or thing and agrees with it: Hún er fljót (She is quick). An adverb describes how something is done and does not agree with anything: Hún hleypur hratt (She runs fast). Compare Maturinn er góður (The food is good) with Hún eldar vel (She cooks well).
-legur → -lega. Many adjectives end in -legur, and their adverb ends in -lega:
- fallegur → fallega (beautifully)
- rólegur → rólega (calmly)
- venjulegur → venjulega (usually)
- varlegur → varlega (carefully): Farðu varlega! (Be careful!)
Watch the ending. The neuter adjective is fallegt, but the adverb is fallega. Þetta er fallegt (This is beautiful) describes a thing, while Hún syngur fallega describes the singing.
Other adjectives → the neuter form. Most adjectives without -legur use their neuter singular, the form you use with það:
- hraður → hratt (fast)
- hægur → hægt (slowly)
- fljótur → fljótt (quickly)
- skýr → skýrt (clearly)
- seinn → seint (late)
- mikill → mikið (a lot) and lítill → lítið (a little): Hann vinnur mikið.
Adverbs with their own form. Some of the most common adverbs must simply be learned:
- vel (well), the adverb for good: Þú talar íslensku mjög vel!
- illa (badly), the adverb for bad: Ég svaf illa í nótt.
With vera you use an adjective, but with most other verbs you use an adverb: Það er gott (It is good), but Það gengur vel (It is going well). Feelings with mér líður also take an adverb: Mér líður vel (I feel good).
Where adverbs go. A manner adverb usually comes after the verb, and after the object if there is one: Hún talar íslensku vel. Degree words go in front of it: mjög hratt (very fast), of hratt (too fast), nógu hratt (fast enough). Adverbs also compare: hratt, hraðar, hraðast and vel, betur, best (see comparing adverbs). In speech, -lega adverbs also make adjectives stronger: ótrúlega gott (incredibly good).
Examples (6)
- Hún syngur mjög fallega.
She sings very beautifully.
fallegur ends in -legur, so the adverb ends in -lega.
- Talaðu hægt, ég er að læra íslensku.
Speak slowly, I am learning Icelandic.
Word by Word: Speak slowly, I am to learn Icelandic.
hægt is the neuter form of hægur, used as an adverb.
- Þú talar íslensku mjög vel!
You speak Icelandic very well!
vel is the adverb for good; it is not made from góður.
- Ég vakna venjulega klukkan sjö.
I usually wake up at seven.
Word by Word: I wake usually the clock seven.
- Farðu varlega!
Be careful!
Word by Word: Go carefully!
- Ég svaf illa í nótt.
I slept badly last night.
Word by Word: I slept badly in night.
Common Mistakes
Using the adjective gott instead of the adverb vel to say how something is done.
Hún talar íslensku gott.Hún talar íslensku vel.gott describes a thing, as in Þetta er gott. To say how someone does something, use the adverb vel.
Using the neuter adjective of a -legur word instead of the -lega adverb.
Hún syngur fallegt.Hún syngur fallega.fallegt is the neuter adjective. Adjectives in -legur make their adverb with -lega: fallega, rólega, venjulega.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Adverbs build on mjög.
Related Patterns
- Adjectives in -legur
The -legur adjectives whose adverbs end in -lega.
Level 4 - Better, More and Most
How adverbs compare: hratt, hraðar, hraðast; vel, betur, best.
Level 4 - Adjectives Agree With Nouns
Adjectives agree with their noun; adverbs do not.
Level 1 - of + AdjectiveToo (Of)
of (too) also goes before adverbs: of hratt.
Level 2 - nóg / nóguEnough (Nóg, Nógu)
nógu (enough) goes before an adverb: nógu hratt.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Adverbs From Adjectives in Bubblegum
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