Are you enjoying your Spanish learning journey but find it hard to tackle adverbial clauses? Spanish, just like English, uses adverbial clauses to express time, purpose or manner. And they are super useful if you are an intermediate learner looking to enrich your language.

With adverbial clauses, you’re likely to face two challenges. One is to learn the conjunctions introducing a clause. The other is to understand how to use the indicative and subjunctive mood within it.

Here’s what we’ll focus on in this article to help you understand adverbial clauses:

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Spanish adverbial clauses: What are they?

First, let’s clarify grammar terms. An ‘adverb’ is a word that adds more information to a verb or adjective. In English, they often end in ‘ly’. In Spanish, that ending is often ‘mente’. For example:

• elegir sabiamente (to choose wisely)
• increíblemente caro (incredibly expensive)

Now, what is an ‘adverbial clause? It’s not just one adverb but a group of words that function in the same way as a single adverb.

• Está aprendiendo español para poder estudiar en Argentina. (He is learning Spanish so that he can study in Argentina).

In this example, ‘para poder estudiar en Argentina’ is an adverbial clause and it expresses the purpose of studying Spanish.

Types of Spanish adverbial clauses

There are three main types of adverbial clauses in Spanish:

• time
• manner/condition
• purpose/goal

Time: 

Te llamaré en cuanto envíe el correo electrónico. (I will give you a call as soon as I send the email).

Manner: 

Viajaré por el mundo como lo hicieron mis padres. (I will travel the world just as my parents did).

Purpose: 

Busco un profesor de español para mejorar mi acento. (I am looking for a Spanish teacher to improve my accent).

Conjunctions used in adverbial clauses in Spanish

Now that we understand adverbial clauses, let’s study common conjunctions. Conjunctions are words that introduce adverbial clauses.

Time:  

• antes de (before)
• después de (after)
• para que (so that)
• en cuanto (as soon as)
• cuando (when)
• mientras que (while)

Le escribiré cuando acabe con este proyecto. (I’ll write to him when I’m done with this project).

Purpose: 

• para (to/for) 
• para que (so that)

Salgo a correr todas las mañanas para mantenerme en forma. (I go running every morning to stay in good shape).

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Manner:

• como (like, as)
• así como (such as)
• del mismo modo que (in the same way as)
• igual que (just like)

Te acuestas tarde, como siempre ha hecho tu hermana mayor. (You go to bed late, as your older sister has always done.)

Indicative and subjunctive moods in adverbial clauses: Spanish rules

The trickiest thing about adverbial clauses in Spanish is the mood. It can be either indicative or subjunctive. While the indicative is quite straightforward, the subjunctive requires changes in the verb form, which is frequent in Romance languages.

So let’s learn the rules you’ll need when deciding whether to use the indicative or subjunctive in adverbial clauses. Spanish has two clear rules for this. 

(1) If your sentence describes an action that happens regularly or has already happened, use the indicative. 

(2) If the adverbial clause describes the action that may happen in the future or isn’t certain, use the subjunctive. The latter is also called ‘clausula adverbial’ in Spanish.

• Lo visito cada vez que voy a Chile. (I visit him every time I go to Chile).
• Lo visitaré cuando vaya a Chile. (I will visit him when I go to Chile).

The first sentence describes a habitual action. The second one talks about a hypothetical situation.

Now let’s see how to decline the subjunctive in Spanish. Simply take the first person singular and replace the –o ending with the appropriate subjunctive ending:

• Te llamaré antes de que llegue. (I will call you before I arrive). 

The subjunctive uses the ending –e in the third person singular because the verb ‘llegar’ ends with -ar.

• Los perdonaré en cuanto me digan qué pasó. (I’ll forgive them as soon as they tell me what happened). 

The subjunctive uses the ending –an in the third person plural, since the verb ‘decir’ ends in -ir.

Practicing adverbial clauses in Spanish

Now that you’ve learned these simple rules, are you feeling more confident in adverbial clauses? Spanish grammar rules are quite logical but definitely require practice. 

Whether you’re speaking with a friend or doing a language course, make an effort to use them in conversation. Reading in Spanish is also a good way to study how these clauses are used in written language. See if you can find an adverbial clause the next time you read your favorite Spanish authors.

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Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.

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