-mente
Asturian
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editSuffix
edit-mente (adverb-forming suffix)
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
Derived terms
editGalician
editEtymology
editInherited from Old Galician-Portuguese -mente, from Latin mente. Compare Portuguese -mente.
Suffix
edit-mente (adverb-forming suffix)
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
Derived terms
editInterlingua
editEtymology
editFrom Spanish -mente and other Romance descendants of Latin mente.
Suffix
edit-mente
- Attaches to an adjective to form the corresponding adverb.
- physicamente (“physically”)
Usage notes
editAfter a final -c the vowel -a- is inserted, e.g. physicamente (note use of physica rather than physic; *physicmente would be incorrect)
Derived terms
editItalian
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editSuffix
edit-mente
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
Usage notes
edit- Because the suffix originates as a reinterpretation of the Latin feminine noun form mente in ablatival locutions [such as clārā mente (literally “with a clear mind”), whence Italian chiaramente]; if the root adjective ends in -o, in formation of the adverb it is employed in its feminine singular form.
- Examples:
- chiara (“clear”) + -mente → chiaramente (“clearly”)
- fisica (“physical”) + -mente → fisicamente (“physically”)
- stupida (“stupid”, “foolish”) + -mente → stupidamente (“stupidly”, “foolishly”)
- Adjectives ending in -e, not distinguishing masculine and feminine forms, simply have the suffix attached to the singular form.
- Example:
- grande (“great”) + -mente → grandemente (“greatly”)
- When the root adjective ends in -le, -lo, -re or -ro, the suffix is attached directly to the consonant and the final vowel of the adjective is dropped.
- Examples:
- speciale (“special”) + -mente → specialmente (“especially”, “particularly”)
- celere (“swift”) + -mente → celermente (“swiftly”)
- Terms derived with this suffix are invariably stressed on the penultimate.
Derived terms
editNeapolitan
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editSuffix
edit-mente
Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
Old Galician-Portuguese
editEtymology
editSuffix
edit-mente
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
- cruu (“cruel”) + -mente → cruamente (“cruelly”)
- forte (“strong”) + -mente → fortemente (“strongly”)
- primeiro (“first”) + -mente → primeiramente (“firstly”)
Derived terms
editDescendants
editPortuguese
editEtymology
editInherited from Old Galician-Portuguese -mente, from Latin mente. Compare Galician -mente.
Pronunciation
edit
Suffix
edit-mente
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
- 2000, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban [Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban] (Harry Potter; 3), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 336:
- Francamente, vão acordar todo mundo!
- Frankly, you are going to wake up everybody!
Usage notes
edit-mente is always added to the feminine form of the adjective, e.g. fisicamente (note use of física rather than físico; *fisicomente would be incorrect)
-mente can be dropped from adverbs other than the last one in a sequence:
- Ele escrevia rápida e freneticamente.
- He was writing quickly and frenetically.
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editSpanish
editEtymology
editFrom Old Spanish -mente/-miente/-mientre, from Latin mente.
Pronunciation
edit- IPA(key): /ˈmente/ [ˈmẽn̪.t̪e] (additionally stressing the syllable of the underlying adjective)
Audio (Colombia): (file) - Rhymes: -ente
- Syllabification: -men‧te
Suffix
edit-mente (adverb-forming suffix)
- Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb.
- normal (“normal”) + -mente → normalmente (“normally, usually”)
- física (“physical”) + -mente → físicamente (“physically”)
- común (“common”) + -mente → comúnmente (“commonly”)
- loca (“crazy”) + -mente → locamente (“crazily”)
Usage notes
edit- Adverbs in -mente are formed from the feminine singular forms of adjectives. For example, nuevamente (“newly”) is formed from nueva (“new”), and comúnmente (“commonly”) is formed from común (“common”).
- Not all words ending in <-mente> are adverbs formed with this suffix. For example, vehemente and demente are both adjectives. In fact, adverb vehementemente does exist.
- If the adjective is written with an accent, then the adverb with -mente is written with an accent in the same place; hence comúnmente, rápidamente, and so on. Conversely, if the adjective is written without an accent, then the adverb with -mente is also written without an accent; hence lentamente, nuevamente, and so on.
- In a string of adverbs connected with a conjunction, -mente may be omitted from all but the last. "Vaga, rápida y descuidadamente"
Derived terms
editFurther reading
edit- “-mente”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28
- Asturian terms inherited from Latin
- Asturian terms derived from Latin
- Asturian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Asturian adverb-forming suffixes
- Asturian lemmas
- Asturian suffixes
- Galician terms inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Galician terms derived from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Galician terms inherited from Latin
- Galician terms derived from Latin
- Galician lemmas
- Galician suffixes
- Galician adverb-forming suffixes
- Interlingua terms borrowed from Spanish
- Interlingua terms derived from Spanish
- Interlingua terms derived from Latin
- Interlingua lemmas
- Interlingua suffixes
- Italian terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Italian terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *men-
- Italian terms inherited from Latin
- Italian terms derived from Latin
- Italian 2-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Italian/ente
- Rhymes:Italian/ente/2 syllables
- Italian lemmas
- Italian suffixes
- Neapolitan terms derived from Latin
- Neapolitan terms with IPA pronunciation
- Neapolitan lemmas
- Neapolitan suffixes
- Old Galician-Portuguese terms inherited from Latin
- Old Galician-Portuguese terms derived from Latin
- Old Galician-Portuguese lemmas
- Old Galician-Portuguese suffixes
- Old Galician-Portuguese adverb-forming suffixes
- Portuguese terms inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Portuguese terms derived from Old Galician-Portuguese
- Portuguese terms inherited from Latin
- Portuguese terms derived from Latin
- Portuguese 2-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ẽtɨ
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ẽtɨ/2 syllables
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ẽt͡ʃi
- Rhymes:Portuguese/ẽt͡ʃi/2 syllables
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese suffixes
- Portuguese adverb-forming suffixes
- Portuguese terms with quotations
- Portuguese terms with usage examples
- Spanish terms inherited from Old Spanish
- Spanish terms derived from Old Spanish
- Spanish terms inherited from Latin
- Spanish terms derived from Latin
- Spanish 2-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Spanish terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/ente
- Rhymes:Spanish/ente/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish suffixes
- Spanish adverb-forming suffixes