Inklingo

How to Say "quickly" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “quickly” is “rápido” — use this when you want to describe an action happening at a high speed or urge someone to move with speed..

English → Spanish

rápido

AdverbA2General
Use this when you want to describe an action happening at a high speed or urge someone to move with speed.

Examples

¡Ven rápido, por favor!

Come quickly, please!

pronto

/PRON-toh//ˈpɾon.to/

AdverbA1General
Use this to mean 'soon' or 'promptly,' often indicating that something will happen in the near future or be done without delay.
A small, colorful bird flying at high speed across a bright blue sky towards a distant, welcoming tree.

Examples

Nos vemos pronto.

See you soon.

La cena estará lista pronto.

Dinner will be ready soon.

Termina la tarea pronto para que podamos jugar.

Finish the homework quickly so we can play.

An Adverb That Stays the Same

When 'pronto' means 'soon' or 'quickly', it's an adverb. This means it describes an action and never changes its ending. It's always 'pronto', never 'pronta' or 'prontos'.

Confusing 'Pronto' and 'Temprano'

Mistake: “Quiero despertar pronto mañana.”

Correction: Quiero despertar temprano mañana. (I want to wake up early tomorrow.) 'Pronto' means 'soon', while 'temprano' means 'early' in the sense of time of day.

rápidamente

adverbA1General
This is a direct and general translation for 'quickly' when describing how an action is performed at a fast pace.

Examples

El niño se comió el helado rápidamente antes de que se derritiera.

The child quickly ate the ice cream before it melted.

corriendo

kohr-RYEHN-doh/koˈrjen.do/

AdverbB1General
Use this when the 'quickly' implies a sense of urgency or being in a hurry, often suggesting the action is done as if running.
A speedy brown rabbit moving rapidly across a dirt path, indicated by clear horizontal motion lines trailing behind it.

Examples

El mensajero llegó corriendo para entregar el paquete a tiempo.

The messenger arrived quickly (or, running) to deliver the package on time.

Olvidé mi cartera y tuve que volver corriendo.

I forgot my wallet and had to rush back (literally: return running).

Describing the 'How'

When corriendo follows another verb, it tells you how that action was performed—usually indicating speed or urgency. (e.g., habló corriendo = he spoke quickly/rushedly).

volando

voh-LAHN-doh/boˈlan.do/

AdverbB1Informal
This implies moving or doing something extremely fast, almost as if flying, conveying a strong sense of speed and urgency.
A stylized brown rabbit running extremely fast across a bright green field, leaving distinct speed lines trailing behind it.

Examples

¡Vente volando! Tenemos que salir ya.

Come quickly! We have to leave now.

Hice el informe volando porque tenía mucha prisa.

I did the report quickly because I was in a big rush.

El repartidor llegó volando con mi pizza.

The delivery person arrived in a flash with my pizza.

General vs. Urgent Speed

Learners often confuse 'rápido'/'rápidamente' with 'corriendo'/'volando'. While the first two simply mean 'at a fast pace,' the latter two imply a greater sense of urgency or haste, as if one were literally running or flying.

Related Translations

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