Adverbs provide information about how, where, when, to what degree, or how often an action takes place. They modify verbs or adjectives or other adverbs. An adverb expresses things like time, frequency, manner, place, quantity, or intensity. Adverbs are placed close to the word they modify (the verb, the adjective or the other adverb). Many adjectives can also function as adverbs in German.
With few exceptions, adverbs don't change their appearance. The form you see in the list below is the form you use in a sentence. Most of them look like adjectives without the endings:
Tief im Wald: Hänsel und Gretel haben sich gerade verlaufen ...
Hänsel
Gretel, ich würde sehr gerne wieder zurück nach Hause gehen!
Gretel, I'd really like to go home again!
Gretel
Ja, ich auch. Weißt du zufällig wie wir das schaffen können?
Yes, me too. Do you know by chance how we can manage that?
Hänsel
Keine Ahnung! Es ist überall viel zu dunkel und ich sehe noch nicht mal den kleinsten Funken!
No clue! It's too dark everywhere, and I can't see even the tiniest sparkle anywhere!
* Although 'gern' is translated into English with a verbal phrase, in German it is an adverb, describing a verb (here: gehen). It is one of the most common adverbs used in German.
Adverbs of manner (descriptive adverbs): Wie?
gern(e)
=>
gladly
eventuell
=>
possibly
lieber
=>
rather
hoffentlich
=>
hopefully
fleißig
=>
diligently
leider
=>
unfortunately
langsam
=>
slowly
glücklicherweise
=>
luckily
vielleicht
=>
maybe
zufällig
=>
per chance
allein(e)
=>
alone
auswendig
=>
by heart
sicherlich
=>
certainly
natürlich
=>
naturally
zögerlich
=>
relunctantly
freiwillig
=>
voluntarily
zusammen
=>
together
gemeinsam
=>
together
wütend
=>
angrily
leichtsinnig
=>
recklessly
bereitwillig
=>
readily
widerwillig
=>
stubbornly
Hänsel
Ok, wir müssen zusammen bleiben, und hoffentlich finden wir etwas, wenn wir immer geradeaus gehen.
OK, we have to stay together and hopefully we'll find something when we keep going straight.
Gretel
Wie doof. Wir hätten den Weg auswendig lernen sollen!
So stupid. We should've learned the road home by heart!
Hänsel
Wer zum Teufel hätte denken können, dass unser Vater uns so bereitwillig für diese neue Frau austauscht?!? Diese ... diese ...
Who would have thought that our father would trade us so readily for this new woman?!? This ... this ...
Adverbs of place: Wo?
hier
=>
here
anderswo
=>
elsewhere
da
=>
there
nirgendwo
=>
nowhere
dort
=>
over there
irgendwo
=>
somewhere
da drüben
=>
over there
überall
=>
everywhere
vorne/hinten
=>
in front/behind
innen/außen
=>
inside/outside
draußen
=>
outdoors
drinnen
=>
indoors
oben/unten
=>
above/below
links/rechts
=>
left/right
Gretel
Hey, Brüderchen, guck mal da hin! Da drüben! Siehst du das kleine Licht?
Hey, Brother dearest, look! Over there! Do you see the little light?
Hänsel
Da links? Tja, mit unserem Glück ist das ein Zug.
Over there on the left? Yeah, with our luck that's a train.
Gretel
Nein, rechts, sei doch nicht so pessimistisch! Und sowieso kann es kein Zug sein - sie wurden immer noch nicht erfunden!
No, on the right, don't be so pessimistic! And anyway, it can't be a train - they hadn't been invented yet!
Adverbs of direction: Wohin? (where to?) Woher? (where from?)
The difference between wohin and woher is the relative direction of movement from the standpoint of the speaker. Wohin suggests movement by the speaker in a direction away from himself/herself; woher, in contrast, suggests movement by somebody else towards / in the direction of the speaker.
dahin
=>
(going) there
daher
=>
(coming from) there
dorthin
=>
(going) there
von oben
=>
from above
nach oben
=>
(going) up
von vorne
=>
from the front/beginning
nach unten
=>
(going) down
von hinten
=>
from behind
nach links
=>
(going) left
von links
=>
from the left
nach rechts
=>
(going) right
von rechts
=>
from the right
Hänsel
Also, gehen wir dorthin, und schauen uns genauer an, was da los ist.
So, let's go over there, and let's take a closer look what's going on.
Gretel
Wow, ein Häuschen! Aus Lebkuchen! Mensch, habe ich Hunger! Ich klettere sofort nach oben aufs Dach und esse alles auf!
Wow, a little house! From gingerbread! Man, am I ever hungry! I'm going to climb up onto the roof right away and will eat the whole thing!
die alte Hexe
Jawohl! Jetzt höre ich schon das Kauen von oben. Jetzt habe ich die zwei kleinen Lümmel!
Yessss! I can already hear the munching from above. Now I have the two little twerps!
Word order with adverbs
As a general rule, German adverbs appear in this sequence: time-manner-place, although there are some infrequent exceptions to this rule (especially in colloquial speech).
die alte Hexe
Ich werde soforthöchst freundlichnach draußen gehen und werde die Kinder herzlichst zu mir einladen. Hah!
I will go outsideright awayas friendly as possible, and I will most cordially invite the children to me. Heh!