Adverbs
The Hebrew term for adverb is תואר הפועל /ˈtoʔar ha-ˈpoʕal/.
Hebrew forms adverbs in several different ways.
Some adjectives have corresponding one-word adverbs. In many cases, the adverb is simply the adjective's masculine singular form:
- חזק /ħaˈzaq/ (strong or strongly)
- ברור /baˈrur/ (clear or clearly)
In other cases, the adverb has a distinct form:
- מהר /maˈher/ (quickly; from the adjective מהיר /maˈhir/, quick)
- לאט /leʔat/ (slowly; from the adjective איטי /iˈti/, slow)
- היטב well; from the adjective טוב /tov/, good
In some cases, an adverb is derived from an adjective using its singular feminine form or (mostly in poetic or archaic usage) its plural feminine form:
- אוטומטית /otoˈmatit/ (automatically)
- מעדנות /maʕadaˈnot/ (finely)
Most adjectives, however, do not have corresponding one-word adverbs; rather, they have corresponding adverb phrases, formed using one of the following approaches:
- using the prepositional prefix ב /be-/ (in) with the adjective's corresponding abstract noun:
- בִּזְהִירוּת /bizhiˈrut/ ("in carefulness": carefully)
- בַּעֲדִינוּת /baʕadiˈnut/ ("in fineness": finely)
- using the same prefix, but with the noun אופן /ˈofen/ (means/fashion), and modifying the noun with the adjective's masculine singular form:
- באופן אטי /beˈofen iˈti/ ("in slow fashion": slowwise).
- similarly, but with the noun צורה /t͡suˈra/ (like/shape), and using the adjective's feminine singular form:
- בצורה אופיינית /bet͡suˈra ofˈjanit/ ("in characteristic form": characteristiclike).
The use of one of these methods does not necessarily preclude the use of the others; for example, slowly may be either לאט /leʔat/ (a one-word adverb), or באטיות /beʔitijut/ (literally in slowness, a somewhat more elegant way of expressing the same thing) or באופן אטי /beʔofen ʔiˈti/ (slowwise), as mentioned above.
Finally, as in English, there are various adverbs that do not have corresponding adjectives at all:
- לכן /laˈχen/ (therefore)
- ככה /ˈkaχa/ (thus)
Read more about this topic: Modern Hebrew Grammar