CONTENT
Adverbien (adverbs) aka circumstance words tell how, where, when, to what degree, or how often something happens.
They describe the circumstances of a single word (a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but not a noun) or a whole sentence more precisely. They are placed close to the word they modify or at the beginning of the sentence.
Native
Translation
Heute gehe ich ins Kino.
Today I'm going to the cinema.
Rule 1: Adverbs are invariable it means that their ending does not change.
Native
Translation
Ich lese manchmal die Zeitung.
I sometimes read the newspaper.
Adverbs of Place
Rule 2: Adverbs of place answer the question Wo? (Where?). We use them to point out a specific location. Here are the main adverbs you'll use to indicate a place:
Native
Translation
hier
here
dort
there
links
left
rechts
right
oben
up
unten
down
hinten
behind
vorne
in front
überall
everywhere
irgendwo
anywhere
For example:
Native
Translation
Ich habe ihn dort gesehen.
I saw him there.
Adverbs of Time
Rule 3: We use the adverbs of time to indicate when something happens or how long something lasts. They answer the questions Wann? Wie lange? (When? How long?)
Here's a short list of the most common adverbs of time:
Native
Translation
bald
soon
jetzt
now
früher
earlier
vorher
before
jemals
ever
später
later
zuerst
first
nachher
afterwards
neuerdings
recently
seitdem
since then
damals
at that time
eben
just
heute
today
gestern
yesterday
morgen
tomorrow
For example:
Native
Translation
Wir sehen uns morgen.
I'll see you tomorrow.
Indicating the Time Without an Adverb
Rule 4: You can also express when something is going to happen or has happened without an adverb. In that case, use the following construction:
- preposition + article + noun
Native
Translation
Wir haben in einer Stunde einen Test.
We have a test in an hour.
Nach dem Mittagessen schauen wir fern.
After lunch we watch TV.