Time Adverbs
Time adverbs describe when, how often, or for how long something happens. They help you place actions in time and give more detail to stories and descriptions.
Key Time Adverbs
Key time adverbs tell you exactly when an event takes place, such as gestern, heute, or morgen. These adverbs are useful for situating actions relative to the present moment.
| German Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| gestern | yesterday |
| heute | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| vorgestern | the day before yesterday |
| übermorgen | the day after tomorrow |
| German Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🕖 Ich stehe früh auf. | I get up early. |
| 🌅 Wir treffen uns am Morgen. | We meet in the morning. |
| 🕑 Das Training beginnt am Nachmittag. | The practice starts in the afternoon. |
| 🌙 Sie lernt spät am Abend. | She studies late in the evening. |
| 🗓️ Das Spiel ist morgen. | The game is tomorrow. |
| 📅 Wir haben nächste Woche frei. | We have free time next week. |
| ⏳ Das Spiel begann vor einer Stunde. | The game started an hour ago. |
| 🕒 Jetzt beginnt die dritte Viertelstunde. | Now the third quarter begins. |
Frequency Adverbs
Frequency adverbs indicate how often something happens, like oft, manchmal, or immer. They are useful for describing habitual actions or routines.
| German Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| immer | always |
| oft | often |
| manchmal | sometimes |
| selten | rarely |
| nie | never |
| German Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ⚽ Wir trainieren täglich. | We train every day. |
| 🏐 Sie spielen meistens am Wochenende. | They mostly play on the weekend. |
| 🏃 Ich trainiere oft nach der Schule. | I often practice after school. |
| 🥅 Manchmal gibt es Extraübungen. | Sometimes there are extra drills. |
| 🏟️ Selten spielen wir in der Fremde. | Rarely do we play away games. |
| 🎉 Niemals verpasse ich ein wichtiges Spiel. | I never miss an important game. |
Duration Adverbs
Duration adverbs tell you how long something lasts, such as lange, kurz, or für eine Stunde. They add detail about the length of an event or activity.
| German Word(s) | English Word(s) |
|---|---|
| lange | long (for a long time) |
| kurz | short (for a short time) |
| für eine Stunde | for an hour |
| seit einer Woche | for a week (since a week ago) |
| immer noch | still |
| German Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| ⏰ Das Training dauert zwei Stunden. | Practice lasts two hours. |
| 🔄 Wir spielen eine halbe Stunde auf dem Feld. | We play half an hour on the field. |
| 🕕 Das Aufwärmen geht kurz vor dem Spiel. | The warm-up happens shortly before the game. |
| 🛑 Die Pause ist gerade lang genug zum Trinken. | The break is just long enough to drink. |
| 🏃♂️ Das Training läuft endlich ohne Unterbrechung. | The practice finally goes on without interruption. |
Placement of Time Adverbs
Time adverbs usually appear at the beginning or end of a sentence, and they can follow the typical verb-second order in German. Placing the adverb first gives it emphasis, while placing it at the end makes the sentence sound more neutral.
Examples
| German Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌅 Früh am Morgen gehe ich laufen. | Early in the morning I go for a run. |
| 🏃 Ich laufe heute Nachmittag im Park. | I am running this afternoon in the park. |
| ⚽ Wir trainieren meistens auf dem Sportplatz. | We mostly practice on the sports field. |
| 🥅 Das Team trifft sich morgen früh. | The team meets tomorrow morning. |
| 🏃♀️ Sie hat gestern lange trainiert. | She trained a long time yesterday. |
| 🏟️ Heute Abend findet das Spiel statt. | The game takes place tonight. |
| Ich habe heute schon Fußball gespielt. | I have already played soccer today. |
| Wir werden später trainieren. | We will practice later. |
Summary
Time adverbs guide the listener or reader in understanding when an action occurs, how often it happens, and how long it lasts. Learning common adverbs and practicing their placement will make your speech and writing much clearer and more natural.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025