Temporal Adverbs For Intermediate learners

What are Temporal Adverbs?

As the name suggests, temporal adverbs (Temporaladverbien) provide information about the specific time, duration or frequency of a certain event or action. In German, temporal adverbs can be organized in three main categories.

Main Categories of Temporal Adverbs

Specific Time

Frequency

Duration

Specific Time

These temporal adverbs usually point to a specific time or time relationships, and you can usually find them by asking "when"? Here are some of the common temporal adverbs that provide information on a specific time or a time relationship.

jetzt	now
gerade	just / at the moment
sofort / gleich	immediately / right away
heute	today
gestern	yesterday
morgen	tomorrow
danach	after that
dann	then
zuerst	first

Example

Ich mache jetzt meine Hausaufgaben.

I'm doing my homework now.

Er ist gerade angekommen.

He has just arrived.

Gestern war ich im Kino.

Yesterday I was at the cinema.

Wir aßen zu Abend, und danach sahen wir fern.

We had dinner, and after that we watched TV.

Zuerst müssen wir einkaufen.

First we have to go shopping.

Frequency

These types of adverbs focus on the repetition and frequency of an action or event. They usually answer the question "how often?" Here are some of the common temporal adverbs that provide information on frequency.

immer	always
meistens	usually
manchmal	sometimes
ab und zu	once in a while
täglich	daily
wöchentlich	weekly

Example

Wir haben wöchentlich eine Besprechung.

We have a weekly meeting.

Sie ist immer pünktlich.

She is always on time.

Ich trinke meistens Kaffee zum Frühstück.

I usually drink coffee for breakfast.

Sie besucht uns ab und zu.

She visits us once in a while.

Duration

These temporal adverbs usually point to a time span, and you can usually find them by asking "How long"? Here are some of the common temporal adverbs that provide information on the duration of an event or action.

lange	for a long time
kurz	briefly / for a short time
stundenlang	for hours
tagelang	for days
ewig	forever / ages
vorübergehend	temporarily
den ganzen Tag	the whole day

Example

Ich habe lange auf dich gewartet.

I waited for you for a long time.

Wir haben stundenlang telefoniert.

We talked on the phone for hours.

Die Straße ist vorübergehend gesperrt.

The road is temporarily closed.

Position of the Adverb

Temporal adverbs can be found in three different positions in a sentence:

First position

Third or Fourth Position

Last Position

First position

When the temporal adverb comes first in a sentence, it puts emphasis on time.

Example

Heute lerne ich Deutsch.

Today, I am learning German.

Morgen fahre ich in Urlaub.

Tomorrow, I am going on vacation.

Third or Fourth Position

This is the most common position for a temporal adverb. Temporal adverbs usually come after the verb and subject.

Example

Ich lerne heute Deutsch.

I am learning German today.

Er kommt um 18 Uhr nach Hause.

He is coming home at 6 p.m..

Last Position

It is also possible to put the temporal adverb at the very end of a sentence. In that case, temporal adverb will be like an extra detail and there will be less emphasis on it.

Example

Ich rufe dich an, später.

I'll call you, later.

Order of Multiple Temporal Adverbs

If you have more than one temporal adverb in a sentence, this is the right order for them:

General Time → Specific Time → Frequency → Time Duration

Example

Ich war gestern (General) den ganzen Tag (Duration) im Büro.

I was at the office all day yesterday.

Example

Sie geht morgens (Specific) immer (Frequency) joggen.

She always goes jogging in the mornings.

Example

Er arbeitet nächste Woche (General) von 9 bis 5 Uhr (Specific).

He is working from 9 to 5 next week.

Comparison

There are a few temporal adverbs that can have a comparative and superlative form. Most temporal adverbs, however, are fixed since they are not measurable and therefore can't be compared.

Comparative: adverb + -er

Superlative: am + adverb + -sten

früh → früher → am frühesten
early → earlier → earliest

If the adverb ends in -t or -d, an -e- will be added before -sten.