Italian All-in-One For Dummies (113 page)

purtroppo
(
unfortunately
)

sempre
(
always
)

sì
(
yes
)

spesso
(
often
)

subito
(
at once; right away
)

tardi
(
late
)

Some adjectives play the role of adverbs. To use them as adverbs, you always use the masculine singular form. For example,
Sandro e Marco corrono piano
(
Sandro and Marco run slowly
). These adverbs can only qualify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs (or sentences) because when you apply them to nouns, names, and pronouns, their “nature” as adjectives takes over and you need to coordinate them with the words they refer to. So you'd say
Sandro e Marco sono corridori veloci
(
Marco and Sandro are fast runners
).

Key adjectives that you can use as adverbs include:

chiaro
(
clear; light in color
)

comodo
(
comfortable
)

duro
(
hard; tough
)

forte
(
strong
)

giusto
(
right
)

leggero
(
light
)