Time adverbs tell us when something happens and help arrange events in speech and writing. This short guide covers common German time adverbs with quick examples.
Time Adverbs
Time adverbs answer questions like wann? (when?) and signal moments, durations, and frequencies. They appear at the beginning or end of a sentence for emphasis.
| German Word | English Word | |
|---|---|---|
| jetzt | now | |
| bald | soon | |
| gestern | yesterday | |
| heute | today | |
| morgen | tomorrow | |
| vorige Woche | last week | |
| nächste Woche | next week | |
| damals | back then | |
| immer | always | |
| oft | often | |
| manchmal | sometimes | |
| selten | rarely | |
| nie | never | |
| seit | since / for | |
| vor kurzem | recently | |
| vor einer Weile | a while ago | |
| demnächst | shortly / soon |
(now) ist die richtige Zeit, um zu gehen.
Now is the right time to leave.
Expressions
Set phrases and adverbial expressions give more precise timing and often use prepositions with time nouns. These are useful in everyday speech.
| German Expression | English Expression | |
|---|---|---|
| in Kürze | shortly / soon | |
| vor einer Woche | a week ago | |
| vor zwei Tagen | two days ago | |
| in zwei Tagen | in two days | |
| vor einiger Zeit | some time ago | |
| seit letzter Woche | since last week | |
| bis bald | see you soon | |
| bis jetzt | until now | |
| für kurze Zeit | for a short time |
Summary
Time adverbs like jetzt, gestern and bald quickly situate events and signal when an action occurs relative to speech. Learn common adverbs and expressions to describe timing clearly in German.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025