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.
German
English
Heute gehe ich ins Kino.
Today I'm going to the cinema.
Rule 1: Adverbs are invariable, meaning that their ending does not change.
German
English
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:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| hier | here |
| dort | there |
| links | left |
| rechts | right |
| oben | up |
| unten | down |
| hinten | behind |
| vorne | in front |
| überall | everywhere |
| irgendwo | anywhere |
For example:
German
English
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:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| 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:
German
English
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
German
English
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.