Adverbs of manner: ràpidament, bé, mal, de pressa
From an adjective the adverb is made with the suffix -ment: ràpid → ràpidament (quickly), lent → lentament (slowly), tranquil → tranquil·lament (calmly). The base is the feminine form: lenta → lentament. For example: “Llegeixo lentament, però entenc bé” — I read slowly, but I understand well. A rule from the Catalan course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
From an adjective the adverb is made with the suffix -ment: ràpid → ràpidament (quickly), lent → lentament (slowly), tranquil → tranquil·lament (calmly). The base is the feminine form: lenta → lentament.
Four adverbs are irregular: bé (well) and mal (badly) do not follow the model. The colloquial de pressa (quickly, "with haste") and a poc a poc (slowly, "step by step") you already know from the basic phrases.
Table
| adjective | adverb |
|---|---|
| ràpid | ràpidament |
| lenta | lentament |
| bo (irregular) | bé |
| dolent (irregular) | mal |
By example
- Llegeixo lentament, però entenc béI read slowly, but I understand well
- Fes-ho bé, no de pressaDo it well, not fast
- El cotxe funciona mal avuiThe car works badly today
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Adverbs of manner: how does it work in Catalan?
From an adjective the adverb is made with the suffix -ment: ràpid → ràpidament (quickly), lent → lentament (slowly), tranquil → tranquil·lament (calmly). The base is the feminine form: lenta → lentament.
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Llegeixo lentament, però entenc bé” — I read slowly, but I understand well. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.