Adverbs of Frequency & Time
Adverbs of frequency and time are among the most useful words you can learn at this stage. They let you say how often something happens (immer, manchmal, nie) and when it happens (heute, schon, noch nicht) — both essential for everyday conversation.
The great news: these adverbs never change their form. No cases, no gender, no endings to memorise. The only thing to master is where to place them in a sentence, and that rule is pleasantly simple.
Adverbs of Frequency
These adverbs answer the question "How often?". Think of them as a scale from 100 % down to 0 %:
| German | English | Quick example |
|---|---|---|
| immer | always | Ich trinke immer Kaffee. |
| meistens | usually / mostly | Sie geht meistens zu Fuß. |
| oft | often | Wir essen oft zusammen. |
| manchmal | sometimes | Er liest manchmal abends. |
| selten | rarely / seldom | Ich sehe selten fern. |
| nie / niemals | never | Sie trinkt nie Alkohol. |
Memory trick: arrange them vertically — immer at the top (100 %), nie at the bottom (0 %). Everything else slots in between.
Adverbs of Time
These adverbs answer "When?" — either a specific moment or a relative one:
| German | English | Quick example |
|---|---|---|
| heute | today | Heute ist Montag. |
| gestern | yesterday | Gestern war es kalt. |
| morgen | tomorrow | Morgen fahre ich nach Hamburg. |
| jetzt | now | Ich bin jetzt müde. |
| bald | soon | Sie kommt bald. |
| sofort | immediately | Ich komme sofort! |
| schon | already | Bist du schon fertig? |
| noch | still | Er schläft noch. |
| noch nicht | not yet | Ich habe das noch nicht gemacht. |
Note: schon, noch, and noch nicht are a trio worth learning together — they express where something stands on a timeline relative to now.
Position in the Sentence
German adverbs of frequency and time go after the conjugated verb and before the direct object:
Subject → Verb → Adverb → Object Ich esse manchmal Pizza. ✓
Never place them between the subject and the verb:
Ich manchmal esse Pizza.✗
For emphasis, move the adverb to position 1. This triggers the Verb-Second rule: the verb must still be second, so subject and verb swap:
Manchmal esse ich Pizza. ✓ (emphasises sometimes)
In perfect tense (Perfekt), the adverb sits before the past participle:
Ich habe das Buch noch nicht gelesen. ✓
📖 Examples
Ich gehe oft ins Kino.
I often go to the cinema.
Sie schläft immer lange am Wochenende.
She always sleeps in on weekends.
Wir essen manchmal zusammen zu Abend.
We sometimes have dinner together.
Er kommt selten zu spät.
He rarely comes late.
Ich habe das Buch noch nicht gelesen.
I haven't read the book yet.
Bist du schon fertig?
Are you already done?
Morgen fahren wir nach München.
Tomorrow we are going to Munich.
Heute Abend bleibe ich zu Hause.
This evening I am staying at home.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Ich manchmal esse Pizza.Ich esse manchmal Pizza.
English allows the adverb before the verb ('I sometimes eat'), but German does not. The adverb must follow the conjugated verb — you can never split the subject from the verb with an adverb.
Oft ich gehe spazieren.Oft gehe ich spazieren.
When an adverb takes position 1 for emphasis, the Verb-Second rule kicks in: the verb must be the second element, so the subject shifts after the verb. 'Oft ich gehe' leaves the verb in third place, which is wrong.
Ich habe nicht noch die Hausaufgaben gemacht.Ich habe die Hausaufgaben noch nicht gemacht.
'Not yet' is the fixed phrase *noch nicht* — these two words always stay together. Separating them or reversing them produces a different meaning or ungrammatical German.
Er ist noch hier — er geht noch nicht.Er ist noch hier — er geht noch nicht weg.
*Noch* (still) and *noch nicht* (not yet) can sound similar in translation. *Noch* describes an ongoing state; *noch nicht* means something expected hasn't happened yet. Make sure the context matches which one you need.
✏️ Exercises
Test your understanding. Click an option or type your answer, then check.
What does "manchmal" mean in English?
Which sentence has the correct word order?
What does "schon" mean?
How do you say "not yet" in German?
Which adverb means "rarely"?
Choose the correct German sentence for "She never eats meat."
Er kommt ___ zu spät — er ist immer pünktlich. (nie)
Ich habe das Buch ___ gelesen — ich fange heute Abend an. (noch nicht)
___ gehe ich zu Fuß, aber meistens nehme ich den Bus. (manchmal)
Bist du ___ fertig mit deiner Hausaufgabe? (schon)