Time adverbs are words that give us information about the timing, frequency, or duration of an action or event.
Types of Time Adverbs
There are three main types of time adverbs:
- Adverbs of Time: Tell us when something happens (e.g., now, yesterday, soon).
- Adverbs of Frequency: Tell us how often something happens (e.g., always, often, never).
- Adverbs of Duration: Tell us for how long something happens (e.g., briefly, all day, forever).
Examples
Here are some common time adverbs and example sentences:
| Type | Adverb | Example Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adverb of Time | now | I am leaving now. | at this moment |
| Adverb of Time | yesterday | She called me yesterday. | the day before today |
| Adverb of Time | soon | We will start soon. | in a short time |
| Adverb of Frequency | always | He always wakes up early. | % of the time |
| Adverb of Frequency | often | They often go to the park. | many times |
| Adverb of Frequency | never | I never eat junk food. | % of the time |
| Adverb of Duration | briefly | She spoke briefly about it. | for a short time |
| Adverb of Duration | all day | We worked all day. | for the entire day |
| Adverb of Duration | forever | I will love you forever. | for all time |
Complete the sentence: 'They ___ go to the park.'
often
'Often' means many times, showing frequent occurrence.
Complete the sentence: 'She spoke ___ about it.'
briefly
'Briefly' means for a short time, indicating a quick mention.
Summary
Time adverbs help us understand the timing, frequency, or duration of actions. They answer questions like “When?”, “How often?”, and “For how long?”
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
