All German Adverbs of Time Explained | A1-C1
Gestern war Samstag, morgen habe ich frei und bald ist Weihnachten. This one sentence already contains three German time adverbs. In this lesson you learn the most important Temporaladverbien from A1 to C1, sorted into groups, with example sentences and a simple rule for where they go in the sentence.
Time adverbs answer the questions Wann? (when), Wie oft? (how often) and Wie lange? (how long). They do not change their form.
Where Do Time Adverbs Go?
A time adverb can stand in position 1 or in the middle of the sentence. The conjugated verb always stays in position 2.
- Gestern war Samstag.
- Ich habe morgen frei.
Groups of Time Adverbs
1. Times of the Day
For example morgens, vormittags, mittags, nachmittags, abends, nachts. They describe what usually happens at that time: Abends sehe ich gern einen Film.
2. Days of the Week
Montags, dienstags, mittwochs and so on mean "every Monday", "every Tuesday": Montags gehe ich schwimmen.
3. Frequency
For example immer, oft, manchmal, selten, nie. They answer Wie oft?
- Warst du jemals in Basel? (jemals = ever)
4. Present
Words for "now": jetzt, momentan, zurzeit, heutzutage.
- Zurzeit lebe ich in Taiwan.
- Heutzutage achtet man auf die Umwelt.
5. Past
For example gestern, vorgestern, früher, damals, kürzlich, eben.
6. Future
For example morgen, übermorgen, bald, demnächst, künftig.
The Difference Between Similar Adverbs
| Adverb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| jetzt | right now |
| momentan | at the moment, a bit wider than jetzt |
| zurzeit | currently, an even longer period |
| demnächst | soon |
| künftig | in the (longer-term) future |
| eben / kürzlich | just now / recently |
Homework
Write three sentences about your week with montags, abends and manchmal.
What to Learn Next
Practise sentence building in German Word Order Explained and see how to talk about plans in How to talk about the future in German. For story vocabulary, read German Storytelling: First, Then, After.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are German time adverbs?
Temporaladverbien are words like gestern, morgen, immer or oft. They say when or how often something happens and never change their form.
Where do time adverbs go in a German sentence?
In position 1 or in the middle. The conjugated verb always stays in position 2.
What is the difference between jetzt, momentan and zurzeit?
Jetzt means right now. Momentan covers a slightly longer time, and zurzeit an even longer current period.
What is the difference between demnächst and künftig?
Demnächst means soon. Künftig refers to the longer-term future.
What does montags mean?
Montags means every Monday or on Mondays. The same works with the other days of the week.
Want to use time expressions naturally in conversation? Our A2 German online course trains vocabulary and sentence building step by step.
