Adverbs and Degree

Adverbs in -ai and -iai

119.An adverb of manner is made from the masculine form of a qualitative adjective by changing -as to -ai and -us to -iai. It then never changes again: an adverb has no gender, no number and no case, because it belongs to the verb and not to any noun.

Troleibusas važiuoja lėtai.

The trolleybus goes slowly.

Mokytojas pasakoja įdomiai.

The teacher tells it interestingly.

Ji gražiai dainuoja.

She sings beautifully.

Adverbs in -iškai

120.A separate suffix, -iškai, makes adverbs of manner after the fashion of — and above all the names of languages. Kalbėti lietuviškai is to speak Lithuanian, and the construction is an adverb throughout: the language is never a noun and never takes a case.

Aš kalbu lietuviškai ir angliškai.

I speak Lithuanian and English.

Ar tu kalbi rusiškai?

Do you speak Russian?

Jis gyvena kaimiškai.

He lives in a country fashion.

• [1] The noun lietuvių kalba exists and is used of the language as a subject of study: mokausi lietuvių kalbos. But kalbėti takes the adverb.

The Comparative of the Adjective

121.The comparative — aukštesnysis laipsnis — is made with -esnis for the masculine and -esnė for the feminine, added to the stem. It then declines and agrees like any other adjective (¶17), because it is one.

Šis butas didesnis.

This flat is bigger.

Ji turi geresnę knygą.

She has a better book. — the comparative takes the accusative like any adjective

The Superlative of the Adjective

122.The superlative — aukščiausiasis laipsnis — is made with -iausias, -iausia. The ending begins with a back vowel, so a preceding t softens to č and d to dž, exactly as in the genitive and the past (¶28, ¶95): greitas gives greičiausias, didelis gives didžiausias.

Tai geriausias filmas.

That is the best film.

Vilnius yra didžiausias Lietuvos miestas.

Vilnius is the biggest city in Lithuania. — genitive *Lietuvos*, where English says *in*

Comparing the Adverb

123.An adverb is compared with -iau and -iausiai, and undergoes the same softening before them. Because the adverb never agrees with anything, its comparative and superlative have one form each — which makes the adverb far easier to compare than the adjective.

Kalbėkite lėčiau, prašom.

Speak more slowly, please.

Dabar man geriau.

Now I feel better.

Jis gyvena arčiau.

He lives nearer.

Than: Negu and Už

124.What is compared with is introduced by negu — than — with the second term in the same case as the first, since the two are being weighed against each other. Beside it stands už with the accusative, which does the same work more briefly: didesnis už mane, bigger than I.

Traukinys greitesnis negu autobusas.

The train is faster than the bus.

Ši knyga įdomesnė už tą.

This book is more interesting than that one.

Kava geriau negu arbata.

Coffee is better than tea.

The Kinds of Adverb

125.Not every adverb is made from an adjective; most of the commonest are words in their own right, and they fall into five groups. Those of quantity deserve particular note: daug, mažai, truputį and šiek tiek all govern the genitive (¶32), as a numeral does.

Turiu mažai laiko.

I have little time. — genitive after an adverb of quantity

Eikite tiesiai, paskui dešinėn.

Go straight on, then to the right.

Jis gyvena toli, o dirba arti.

He lives far away but works near by.