A guide to German adverbs
Adjectives modify nouns, while adverbs provide additional information about verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Unlike adjectives, which change their endings depending on gender and grammatical case, adverbs are invariable — meaning that they remain unchanged regardless of how they are used in a sentence.
An overview of German adverbs
In German, there are five main types of adverbs: adverbs of manner, frequency, degree, time, and place.
- Adverbs of manner describe how an action is done. Examples of adverbs of manner in German include “langsam” (slowly), “schnell” (quickly), “laut” (loudly), and “ruhig” (calmly/quietly).
- Adverbs of frequency (Häufigkeitsadverbien) describe how often an action occurs. Examples of adverbs of frequency in German include “immer” (always), “manchmal” (sometimes), “oft” (often), and “selten” (rarely).
- Adverbs of degree (Gradadverbien) describe the intensity or extent of an action or event. Examples of adverbs of degree in German include “sehr” (very), “etwas” (somewhat), “ziemlich” (quite), and “absolut” (absolutely).
- Adverbs of time (Zeitadverbien) describe when an action or event occurs. Examples of adverbs of time in German include “gestern” (yesterday), “heute” (today), “morgen” (tomorrow), and “immer” (always).
- Adverbs of place (Ortsadverbien) describe where an action or event occurs. Examples of adverbs of place in German include “hier” (here), “dort” (there), “links” (to the left), and “rechts” (to the right).
Examples of adverbs used to modify verbs
Below are two diagrams depicting German phrases in which the adverb modifies the verb:
(translation: “He never makes grammar mistakes.”)
(translation: “She always talks about linguistics.”)
Remark about the direction of the arrows: These diagrams represent the syntactic structure of a sentence. The direction of the arrows goes from a head word to its dependent word.
Examples of adverbs used to modify adjectives
Here are two examples of German phrases in which the adverb modifies the adjective:
(translation: “A perfectly legitimate question.”)
(translation: “A really good friend.”)
Examples of adverbs used to modify other adverbs
Here is an example of a German phrase in which the adverb modifies another adverb:
(translation: “He studied very gladly.”)
Adverbs of frequency
Frequency adverbs are called Häufigkeitsadverbien in German. They provide information about the frequency of actions or events. Some common German frequency adverbs include “immer” (always), “nie” (never), “oft” (often), “selten” (rarely), “manchmal” (sometimes), and “ab und zu” (now and then).
Below is a table listing the most frequently used German adverbs of frequency.
| Adverb | Translation |
|---|---|
| immer | always |
| ständig | constantly |
| oft | often |
| häufig | frequently |
| üblicherweise | usually |
| gewöhnlicherweise | usually |
| manchmal | sometimes |
| gelegentlich | occasionally |
| zeitweise | at times |
| selten | rarely, seldom |
| keinmal | not once |
| nie | never |
| niemals | never |
Adverbs of degree
Adverbs of degree (which are called Gradadverbien in German) provide information about the degree, intensity or level of something, and they can be used with verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Some common adverbs of degree in German include “sehr” (very), “etwas” (somewhat), “ziemlich” (quite), “überaus” (extremely), “völlig” (completely), and “absolut” (absolutely).
| Adverb | Translation |
|---|---|
| besonders | especially |
| völlig | fully |
| sehr | very |
| ziemlich | quite |
| nahezu | nearly, almost |
| fast | almost |
| beinahe | almost |
| meistens | mostly |
| meistenteils | mostly, for the most part |
| großenteils | largely, mostly |
| schwerlich | scarcely, hardly |
| kaum | barely, hardly |
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time are called Temporaladverbien in German. Their purpose is to provide information about when an event occurs.
| Adverb | Translation |
|---|---|
| jetzt | now |
| sofort | immediately |
| bald | soon |
| zuvor | previously |
| bereits | already |
| zurzeit | currently |
| zugleich | at the same time |
| heute | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| damals | at that time (in the past) |
| bisher | so far |
| abends | in the evening |
| nachts | at night |
| nachmittags | in the afternoon |
| morgens | every morning |
| spätestens | at the latest |
| neulich | recently |
| derzeit | currently |
| oftmals | oftentimes |
| jederzeit | anytime |
| neuerdings | recently, lately |
| kürzlich | recently |
| unlängst | recently |
| letztens | last time, recently |
| schleunigst | immediately, as soon as possible |
Adverbs of place
Adverbs of place (which are called Lokaladverbien in German) are used to provide information about where an event occurs. Some common adverbs of place in German include “hier” (here), “dort” (there), “links” (to the left), “rechts” (to the right), “oben” (above), and “unten” (below).
| Adverb | Translation |
|---|---|
| hier | here |
| dort | there |
| überall | everywhere |
| draußen | outside |
| unten | below |
| oben | above |
| innen | inside |
| hinten | behind, in the back |
| hinweg | away |
| vielerorts | in many places |
Adverbs which are formed from nouns and adjectives
German adverbs which are created from a noun (by adding the suffix -weise)
In German, it is possible to form adverbs from nouns through the use of the suffix “-weise.” This suffix is added to the end of a noun to create an adverb that describes the manner in which an action is performed.
For example, the noun “Zeit” (meaning “time”) can be transformed into the adverb “zeitweise” (meaning “at times” or “for a time”). Similarly, the noun “Ausnahme” (meaning “exception”) can be transformed into the adverb “ausnahmsweise” (meaning “exceptionally”).
| Adverb | formation |
|---|---|
| teilweise (partially) | Teil + -weise |
| beispielsweise (for example) | Beispiel + -weise |
| vergleichsweise (comparatively) | Vergleich + -weise |
| schrittweise (gradually) | Schritt + -weise |
| schätzungsweise (approximately) | Schätzung + -weise |
| zeitweise (at times) | Zeit + -weise |
| vorzugsweise (preferably) | Vorzug + -weise |
| ausnahmsweise (exceptionally) | Ausnahme + -weise |
| versuchsweise (experimentally) | Versuch + -weise |
| näherungsweise (approximately) | Näherung + -weise |
| behelfsweise (provisionally) | Behelf + -weise |
| reihenweise (serially) | Reihe + -weise |
| gruppenweise (in groups) | Gruppen + -weise |
| scharenweise (in droves) | Scharen + -weise |
| portionsweise (in portions) | Portion + -weise |
| löffelweise (by the spoonful) | Löffel + -weise |
| absatzweise (intermittently) | Absatz + -weise |
| abschnittsweise (in sections) | Abschnitt + -weise |
| schichtweise (in layers) | Schicht + -weise |
| stapelweise (in batches) | Stapel + -weise |
| haufenweise (in heaps) | Haufen + -weise |
| stückweise (piecemeal) | Stück + -weise |
| stückchenweise (piecemeal) | Stückchen + -weise |
| fallweise (case by case) | Fall + -weise |
| hordenweise (in hordes) | Horde + -weise |
| ansatzweise (to some extent) | Ansatz + -weise |
| stellenweise (in places) | Stelle + -n- + -weise |
| zwangsweise (compulsorily) | Zwang + -s + -weise |
| wahlweise (alternatively) | Wahl + -weise |
| probeweise (on a trial basis) | Probe + -weise |
German adverbs which are created from adjectives (by adding the suffix -erweise)
In German, there are also many adverbs which were formed by adding the suffix “-erweise” to an adjective. Here is a list of the most commonly used ones:
| Adverb | formation |
|---|---|
| möglicherweise (possibly) | möglich + -erweise |
| normalerweise (normally) | normal + -erweise |
| glücklicherweise (fortunately) | glücklich + -erweise |
| üblicherweise (usually) | üblich + -erweise |
| blöderweise (stupidly) | blöd + -erweise |
| verständlicherweise (understandably) | verständlich + -erweise |
| idealerweise (ideally) | ideal + -erweise |
| erstaunlicherweise (surprisingly) | erstaunlich + -erweise |
| notwendigerweise (necessarily) | notwendig + -erweise |
| bedauerlicherweise (regrettably) | bedauerlich + -erweise |
| leichtsinnigerweise (carelessly) | leichtsinnig + -erweise |
| logischerweise (logically) | logisch + -erweise |
| überraschenderweise (surprisingly) | überraschend + -erweise |
| irrtümlicherweise (mistakenly) | irrtümlich + -erweise |
| fälschlicherweise (wrongly) | fälschlich + -erweise |
| unglücklicherweise (unfortunately) | unglücklich -erweise |
| missbräuchlicherweise (improperly) | missbräuchlich + -erweise |
| typischerweise (typically) | typisch + -erweise |
| zufälligerweise (coincidentally) | zufällig + -erweise |
| unnötigerweise (unnecessarily) | unnötig + -erweise |
| eigenartigerweise (strangely) | eigenartig + -erweise |
| charakteristischerweise (characteristically) | charakteristisch + -erweise |
| natürlicherweise (naturally) | natürlich + -erweise |
| untypischerweise (atypically) | untypisch + -erweise |
| bezeichnenderweise (characteristically) | bezeichnend + -erweise |
| freundlicherweise (kindly) | freundlich + -erweise |
| irrsinnigerweise (insanely) | irrsinnig + -erweise |
| dummerweise (stupidly) | dumm + -erweise |
| ehrlicherweise (honestly) | ehrlich + -erweise |
| komischerweise (funnily) | komisch + -erweise |
| lustigerweise (funnily) | lustig + -erweise |
| traurigerweise (sadly) | traurig + -erweise |
| betrüblicherweise (unfortunately) | betrüblich + -erweise |
| richtigerweise (rightly) | richtig + -erweise |
| erfreulicherweise (happily) | erfreulich + -erweise |
| begreiflicherweise (understandably) | begreiflich + -erweise |
| unverständlicherweise (incomprehensibly) | unverständlich + -erweise |
| witzigerweise (funnily) | witzig + -erweise |
| dämlicherweise (foolishly) | dämlich + -erweise |
| klugerweise (wisely) | klug + -erweise |
| intelligenterweise (intelligently) | intelligent + -erweise |
| schlauerweise (cleverly) | schlau + -erweise |
| naiverweise (naively) | naiv + -erweise |
| merkwürdigerweise (oddly enough) | merkwürdig + -erweise |
| seltsamerweise (strangely) | seltsam + -erweise |
| interessanterweise (interestingly) | interessant + -erweise |
| gewöhnlicherweise (usually) | gewöhnlich + -erweise |
| unsinnigerweise (nonsensically) | unsinnig + -erweise |
| sinnvollerweise (sensibly) | sinnvoll + -erweise |
| vernünftigerweise (reasonably) | vernünftig + -erweise |
| ungewöhnlicherweise (unusually) | ungewöhnlich + -erweise |
| unfreundlicherweise (unkindly) | unfreundlich + -erweise |
| unhöflicherweise (rudely) | unhöflich + -erweise |
| unzulässigerweise (inadmissibly) | unzulässig + -erweise |
| ungerechtfertigterweise (unjustifiedly) | ungerechtfertigt + -erweise |
| ewigerweise (forever) | ewig + -erweise |
| gleicherweise (likewise) | gleich + -erweise |
| ungerechterweise (unjustly) | ungerecht + -erweise |
| gerechterweise (justly) | gerecht + -erweise |
| klassischerweise (classically) | klassisch + -erweise |
| verbotenerweise (illegally) | verboten + -erweise |
| klarerweise (obviously) | klar + -erweise |
Understanding the different types of adverbs in German and their functions can significantly enhance your ability to communicate accurately and effectively. By using adverbs correctly, your sentences can provide more precise information about the meaning and context, making your language more fluent and natural-sounding.