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| title | description | source | crawled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adverbs | How German adverbs differ from English — no -ly suffix, the -erweise construction, and a full reference list of common adverbs of time, manner, and place. | https://germanforenglishspeakers.com/other/adverbs | 2026-06-30 |
Adverbs
German does not have the –ly distinction in English between an adjective and an adverb. You can use almost any adjective as an adverb without changing it, as long as it makes sense:
Das Pferd ist schnell. The horse is quick.
Er rennt schnell. He runs quickly.
The only thing in German that's somewhat comparable to our –ly is the –erweise formulation, which modifies an entire clause rather than just a verb or an adjective:
Es ist normal, dass wir um 7 Uhr essen. It's normal for us to eat at 7 o'clock.
Normalerweise essen wir um 7 Uhr. Normally we eat at 7 o'clock.
As in English, there are also some common adverbs that don't map as directly to adjectives. They all work grammatically in the same way as their English equivalents, and they don't take any case endings, so you just have to memorize them. Some of them you've probably seen already:
Adverbs of Time
| German | English |
|---|---|
| anfangs | at the beginning |
| bald | soon |
| bereits | already |
| damals | at that time, then |
| danach | afterward |
| dann | then |
| diesmal | this time |
| einmal | once |
| endlich | finally, at last |
| früher | earlier, previously |
| gestern | yesterday |
| heute | today |
| immer | always |
| inzwischen | meanwhile |
| jemals | ever |
| jetzt | now |
| langsam | slowly |
| längst | long ago |
| manchmal | sometimes |
| meistens | mostly, most often |
| neulich | recently |
| nie | never |
| noch | still |
| nochmal | again |
| nun | now |
| oft | often |
| schon | already |
| sofort | immediately |
| vorbei | over, past |
| vorher | previously, before |
| vorhin | just now, a short time ago |
| wieder | again |
| zuerst | first, at first |
| zurzeit | at the moment, at present |
Adverbs of Manner
| German | English |
|---|---|
| beinahe | nearly, almost |
| besonders | especially |
| bloß | merely, simply, just |
| daneben | besides, in addition |
| ebenfalls | likewise, also |
| ebenso | equally, similarly |
| eigentlich | actually, in fact |
| fast | almost |
| gemeinsam | in common, jointly |
| gern, gerne | gladly |
| hoffentlich | hopefully |
| insgesamt | in total, altogether |
| kaum | hardly |
| leider | unfortunately |
| mindestens | at least, at minimum |
| nämlich | namely |
| natürlich | naturally |
| nebenbei | by the way, incidentally |
| schließlich | finally |
| sehr | very |
| sogar | even |
| sonst | otherwise |
| teilweise | partially |
| übrigens | by the way |
| ungefähr | approximately |
| ursprünglich | originally |
| vielleicht | perhaps, maybe |
| wahrscheinlich | probably, likely |
| wirklich | really, truly |
| ziemlich | rather, quite |
| zufällig | accidentally, by chance |
| zurück | back |
| zusammen | together |
Adverbs of Place
| German | English |
|---|---|
| aufwärts | upward |
| auseinander | separated, apart |
| außen | outside |
| da | here, there |
| drüben | over there |
| geradeaus | straight ahead |
| hier | here |
| hinten | in back, at the back |
| innen | inside |
| links | left |
| nebenan | next door |
| nirgends/nirgendwo | nowhere |
| oben | above |
| rechts | right (≠ left) |
| rückwärts | backwards |
| überall | everywhere |
| unten | under |
| vorn(e) | in front, at the front |
| vorwärts | forward |