Adverbs

Adverbs inform about a place, time, purpose, or manner of an activity. They relate to a verb and are used to describe when, how, where and why something has happened. Adverbs do not inflect. Adverbs answer questions: how? when? where? Adverbs are divided into the basic and derivative ones. Among basic adverbs, there are e.g. gdzie, kiedy, skąd. Derivative adverbs are formed from other parts of speech, often adjectives.

Forming adverbs from adjectives

Adverbs formed from adjectives ending with –i/-y take on the ending -o: szybki → szybko, jasny → jasno, trudny → trudno, tani → tanio, mały → mało, deszczowy → deszczowo. Adverbs formed from adjectives ending with –ry or -ny take on the ending -e: mądry → mądrze, dobry → dobrze, smaczny → smacznie, piękny → pięknie, słoneczny → słonecznie.

Forming degrees of adverbs

Degrees of adverbs are commonly used. There are three degrees of intensity of a characteristic: positive, comparative, and superlative.

Regular forming of adverb degrees

Note! Alternations in adverb stems:

• ł → l: ciepło → cieplej
• sn → śni: jasno → jaśniej
• g → ż: drogo → drożej
• t → c: krótko → krócej
• s → ż: wysoko → wyżej

When comparing adverbs, suffix -k-, -ok- is omitted: daleko → dalej, wysoko → wyżej.

Irregular forming of adverb degrees

Analytical forming of adverb degrees

Analitical comparison of adverbs concerns those adverbs which in the basic form have four and more syllables. The comparative is formed through adding the word bardziej to an adverb in the positive degree. The superlative is formed through adding the word najbardziej to an adverb in the comparative degree.

Comparative

bardziej + positive = comparative

Superlative

najbardziej + positive = superlative

Comparative in comparisons

In structures aimed at comparing, comparative form of an adverb is used. For making a comparison, use words: niż, od, coraz.

• Latem jest cieplej niż zimą.
• Magda mówi po polsku lepiej od Nazara.
• Mam coraz więcej pracy.