Adverb Placement

Sentence adverbs that comment on the entire sentence usually come at the very beginning, setting the tone or revealing the speaker's attitude before the main clause. They shape how the listener interprets what follows.

Adverbs of manner that describe how an action is performed typically go immediately before the verb or sometimes after, depending on whether the adverb modifies the verb or the resulting state. Placement affects the nuance of the action.

Time adverbs normally appear early in the sentence, often before place adverbs and the main verb, to establish when an event occurs. They help organize the timeline for the listener.

Place adverbs usually come after time adverbs and before the verb, indicating where an action takes place. Their position helps sequence information naturally.

Frequency adverbs that show how often an action happens generally appear before the verb they modify and can also come after a modal or auxiliary verb if one is present. They signal habitual actions.

Degree adverbs that intensify or weaken an adjective or adverb appear directly before the word they modify and do not normally split fixed expressions. They fine-tune meaning by adjusting intensity.

Negative adverbs like bù and méi precede the verb or auxiliary they negate and determine whether the action is denied or the action's completion is negated. Placement affects the type of negation.

Longer adverbial phrases that indicate time, place, manner, cause, or purpose typically appear at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or right before the verb group. They provide detailed contextual information.

In Mandarin Chinese adverbs tend to appear in a consistent order: sentence adverbs first, followed by time, place, frequency, manner, and degree adverbs, with each type positioned relative to the verb according to its function. Learning typical placements helps produce natural-sounding sentences.

Adverbs each serve a role in ordering information and shading meaning, and practicing with typical examples makes usage intuitive.