In German, an adverb is a word used to modify verbs, nouns, or adverbs. Essentially, they deepen the meaning of the words they modify by adding extra descriptions; these extra descriptions take 6 forms: manner, cause, time, place, relative form, and conjunctive form. In the following subsections we will review each of these categories and see examples of the most common adverbs for each category. An important note for all adverbs is that they are not declined.
Contents
Adverbs of Manner
This category contains adverbs which describe the fashion in which something happens or an action is taken.
Most Common Adverbs of Manner
| Adverbs of Manner | |
| Deutsch | English |
| allein / alleine | alone |
| drittens | thirdly |
| erstens | firstly |
| eventuell | possibly |
| freiwillig | voluntarily |
| gern / gerne | gladly |
| hoffentlich | hopefully |
| langsam | slowly |
| leichtsinnig | carelessly |
| lieber | rather |
| natürlich | naturally |
| sicherlich | surely |
| vielleicht | maybe |
| widerwillig | begrudgingly |
| wütend | angrily |
| zögerlich | hesitantly |
| zufällig | randomly |
| zusammen | together |
| zweitens | secondly |
Examples
- Ich esse alleine zu Abend. (I am eating dinner alone.)
- Man sollte Eier nicht leichtsinnig kochen. (One shouldn’t cook eggs carelessly.)
Adverbs of Causation
These adverbs will answer the question of why something happens, be it the manner, the reasoning, or potentially the effects or consequences.
Most Common of Adverbs of Causation
| Adverbs of Causation | |
| Deutsch | English |
| daher | therefore |
| darum | therefore |
| deshalb | therefore |
| deswegen | therefore |
| folglich | thus |
Examples
- Morgen ist Muttertag, und daher bin ich im Blumenladen. (Tomorrow is Mother’s Day, and thus I’m in the flower shop.)
- Wentao hat den Plattenladen ausgeraubt und ist deswegen in den Knast gekommen. (Wentao robbed the record store and therefore he went to prison.)
Adverbs of Time
These adverbs will answer the question of when something happens. This could vary in specificity from an exact time to a more general period.
Most Common Adverbs of Time
| Adverbs of Time | |
| Deutsch | English |
| immer | always |
| oft | often |
| manchmal | sometimes |
| nie | never |
| nimmer | never ever |
| gestern | yesterday |
| heute | today |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| morgens | in the morning |
| nachmittag | afternoon |
| nachts | at night |
| abends | in the evening |
Examples
- Ich sage immer danke. (I always say thank you.)
- Ich rauche nie in der Nähe meiner Kinder. (I never smoke around my children.)
Adverbs of Place
These adverbs describe the positions of actions. This is not the name of a place but rather the description of a place.
Most Common Adverbs of Place
| Adverbs of Place | |
| Deutsch | English |
| da | there / where |
| dort | there / where |
| drauβen | outside |
| drinnen | inside |
| drüben | over there |
| hier | here |
| irgendwo | somewhere / anywhere |
| links | left |
| nahe | near |
| nirgends | nowhere |
| oben | above / up |
| rechts | right |
| über | over / across / above |
| überall | everywhere |
| unten | below / down |
| voran | forward / ahead |
| weg | away |
Examples
- Ich ging nach rechts und lief unter der Brücke durch. (I went right and walked under the bridge to the other side.)
- Hier sind überall Zombies! (There are zombies everywhere!)
Relative Adverbs
These adverbs are used to connect independent and dependent clauses.
Most Common Relative Adverbs
| Relative Adverbs | |
| Deutsch | English |
| womit | with which |
| wofür | for which |
| worüber | about which |
Examples
- Das ist ein Rückschlag, womit ich nicht gerechnet habe. (This is a setback that I didn’t expect.)
- Selbst die ärmsten Menschen haben etwas, wofür sie dankbar sein können. (Even the poorest of people have something for which to be grateful.)
Conjunctive Adverbs
Whereas relative adverbs connect an independent and a dependent clause, conjunctive adverbs connect two independent clauses. These are especially common in written German.
Most Common Conjunctive Adverbs
| Conjunctive Adverbs | |
| Deutsch | English |
| außerdem | in addition / moreover |
| folglich | consequently |
| schließlich | in the end |
| zuvor | previously |
Examples
- Ich möchte den Kuchen nicht essen. Ich hasse Kuchen, und außerdem ist er ungesund. (I don’t want to eat the cake. I hate cake, and moreover it’s unhealthy.)
- Ich habe mich so sehr bemüht und bin so weit gekommen, aber schließlich ist das alles völlig egal. (I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter.)
What to Read Next
- Basic German Grammar Structure for Beginners
- German Declensions: Rules, Regulations, and Chart
- German Nouns: Gender, Masculine, Feminine, and Plural Forms
- German Articles: Definite, Indefinite, Negative, and Zero
- German Pronouns: Personal, Possessive, Reflexive, Table, and More
- German Clauses: Independent, Dependent, and Types
- German Prepositions: Accusative, Dative, Genitive, and More
Or go back to our Learn German Language page for more learning resources.