Adverbs provide information about how, where, when, to what degree, or how often an action takes place. They modify verbs or adjectives or other adverbs.
An adverb expresses things like
- time
- frequency
- manner
- place
- quantity
- intensity
Adverbs are placed close to the word they modify (the verb, the adjective or the other adverb). Many adjectives can also function as adverbs in German.
With few exceptions, adverbs don’t change their appearance. The form you see in the list below is the form you use in a sentence. Most of them look like adjectives without the endings.
Example:
- Die Schneeflocken fielen sanft vom Himmel.
- The snowflakes were falling softly from the sky.
In addition to answering the simple question wie (how), there are several groups of specific adjectives that describe time, frequency, quantity and intensity. There are also other types of adverbs that add information regarding manner, location, or logical sequencing.
Adverbs of time: Wann?
| heute | today |
| gestern | yesterday |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| gleich | in a minute |
| sofort | immediately |
| schon | already |
| erst | only (since) |
| seit | since |
| neulich | the other day |
| früher | back in the day |
| gerade | right now |
| ehemalig | former |
| eben | just now |
| kürzlich | recently |
| schließlich | finally |
| endlich | at last |
| zuletzt | in the end |
| bisher | up until now |
| damals | back then |
| zukünftig | future |
In sentences with more than one time expression, the more general time expression comes before the more specific one.
- Es war im Winter an einem ruhigen Nachmittag.
- That was in the winter, on a peaceful afternoon.
