Spanish Adverbs

Question

Okay, I know the rules for when you drop the -mente ending (like after the word más or in all but the last adverb of a series of adverbs). But I've seen many instances where it seems like the -mente ending should have indubitably been included but is dropped; for instance, "¡Aprenda español rápido!"

If it weren't confusing enough, even if the -mente ending is dropped, shouldn't it be dropped from the feminine form of the adjective? That is, shouldn't it read "¡Aprenda español rápida!", provided that the -mente ending is even supposed to be dropped to begin with?

In summary, there are three possible forms:

"¡Aprenda español rápido!"

"¡Aprenda español rápida!"

"¡Aprenda español rápidamente!!"

Which one is correct?

Answer 1

"¡Aprenda español rápidamente!!" is formally the correct one for this type of sentence though it's usual to see "rápido" used as well.

"rápida" is incorrect.

As an adverb is always used in the male form as in "corro rápido" (I run fast), "se mueve rápido" (he/she/it moves fast) and so on.

so would this sentence, which i took directly from studyspanish.com, be incorrect?: "El autor escribió rápida y fácilmente." - jerryshizzle123, Oct 15, 2011

Answer 2

¡Aprenda español rápido! is not saying «Learn Spanish rapidly.» It is saying «Learn rapid Spanish! and rápido is an adjective. Rapid Spanish (fluent Spanish) would be Spanish spoken rapidly, but that is not the grammar involved in the sentence.

rápidamente=rapidly

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rápido, da.

(Del lat. rap?dus).

• 1. adj. Que se mueve, se hace o sucede a gran velocidad, muy deprisa.
• 1. adj. Que se hace a la ligera, sin profundizar. Eché un vistazo rápido a la novela
• 1. m. rabión.
• 1. m. tren rápido.
• 1. adv. m. rápidamente (? con celeridad). Volved rápido a casa

Given that, either interpretation is possible.