Time Adverbs in German

Overview

Time adverbs tell you when something happens, how often it occurs, or how long it lasts. In German, words like heute (today), morgen (tomorrow), immer (always), and manchmal (sometimes) are among the most frequently used words in everyday conversation. You will start using these from the very beginning of your A1 studies.

German time adverbs work similarly to English ones, but their placement in the sentence follows German word order rules. When a time adverb comes first in a sentence, the verb must immediately follow it — a rule that catches many beginners off guard. For instance, "Heute bin ich müde" (Today I am tired) places the verb before the subject.

Mastering a core set of time adverbs will immediately make your German more expressive, allowing you to talk about your daily schedule, habits, and plans.

How It Works

Common Time Adverbs

German	English	Category
heute	today	Point in time
morgen	tomorrow	Point in time
gestern	yesterday	Point in time
jetzt	now	Point in time
dann	then / after that	Sequence
bald	soon	Point in time
immer	always	Frequency
oft	often	Frequency
manchmal	sometimes	Frequency
selten	rarely	Frequency
nie / niemals	never	Frequency
schon	already	Aspect
noch	still	Aspect
gerade	right now / just	Aspect

Word Order with Time Adverbs

In German, time adverbs can go in two main positions:

1. After the verb (neutral): Ich gehe morgen ins Kino.
2. At the beginning (emphasis on time): Morgen gehe ich ins Kino.

When the adverb starts the sentence, the subject and verb swap — the verb stays in second position (V2 rule).

Frequency Scale

German	Approximate Frequency
immer	100%
meistens	~80%
oft	~60%
manchmal	~30%
selten	~10%
nie	0%

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Heute bin ich müde.	Today I am tired.	Time adverb first, verb-subject inversion
Er kommt immer spät.	He always comes late.	Frequency adverb after verb
Ich gehe manchmal ins Kino.	I sometimes go to the cinema.	Frequency in the middle
Gestern war das Wetter schön.	Yesterday the weather was nice.	Past time reference
Wir fahren morgen nach Berlin.	We are going to Berlin tomorrow.	Future plan
Jetzt muss ich arbeiten.	Now I have to work.	Immediacy
Sie ist schon da.	She is already there.	"schon" indicates completion
Er schläft noch.	He is still sleeping.	"noch" indicates continuation
Ich habe ihn nie gesehen.	I have never seen him.	Negation of frequency
Dann gehen wir essen.	Then we go eat.	Sequence marker

Common Mistakes

Forgetting verb-subject inversion

• Wrong: Heute ich bin müde.
• Right: Heute bin ich müde.
• Why: When a time adverb starts the sentence, the verb must come second, pushing the subject after the verb.

Confusing "morgen" (tomorrow) with "Morgen" (morning)

• Wrong: Am morgen trinke ich Kaffee. (intending "in the morning")
• Right: Am Morgen trinke ich Kaffee.
• Why: "morgen" (lowercase) means tomorrow. "der Morgen" (capitalized noun) means morning. Context matters, but capitalization helps in writing.

Placing frequency adverbs at the end

• Wrong: Ich gehe ins Kino manchmal.
• Right: Ich gehe manchmal ins Kino.
• Why: Unlike English, German frequency adverbs typically go before the place or object, not at the very end of the sentence.

Practice Tips

1. Describe your daily routine using time adverbs: "Morgens trinke ich Kaffee. Dann gehe ich zur Arbeit. Manchmal esse ich in der Kantine." This builds natural sentence patterns.
2. Practice the frequency scale by ranking your own habits: "Ich koche immer. Ich lese oft. Ich schwimme selten." This anchors meaning to personal experience.

Related Concepts

No parent or child concepts are linked to this topic.