Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Understanding German Adverbs
Understanding German Adverbs Similar to English, German adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs. They are used to indicate a place, time, cause, and manner, and they can be found in various parts of a sentence. Examples Here is where you might find an adverb in a German sentence: Before or after verbs:Ich lese gern. (I like reading.)Das habe ich hierhin gestellt. (I put that here.)Before or after nouns:Der Mann da, der guckt dich immer an. (The man over there is always looking at you.)Ich habe drà ¼ben am Ufer ein Boot. (I have a boat over there by the shore.)Before or after adjectives:Diese Frau ist sehr hà ¼bsch. (This woman is very pretty.)Ich bin in sptestens drei Wochen zurà ¼ck. (Ill be back in three weeks at the latest.) Conjunctions Adverbs can also sometimes function as conjunctions. For example:à Ich habe letzte Nacht à ¼berhaupt nicht geschlafen, deshalb bin ich mà ¼de. (I didnââ¬â¢t sleep at all last night, thatââ¬â¢s why Iââ¬â¢m so tired.) Modify a Sentence Adverbs can also change a sentence. Specifically, question adverbs (Frageadverbien) can modify a phrase or a sentence. For example:à Worà ¼ber denkst du? (What are you thinking about?) The very best thing about German adverbs is that they are never declined. (Did we just hear a sigh of relief?) Furthermore, adverbs can be created from nouns, prepositions, verbs, and adjectives: Creating Adverbs Here are some ways you can make adverbs in German:à Adverbs plus prepositions:à When combining prepositions with the adverbs wo(r), da(r) orà hier, you get prepositional adverbs, such as woraufà (on where), davorà (before that) andà hierumà (around here).Verbs as adverbs:à Past particles of verbs can stand in as adverbs and without modification. Read more here:à Past Participles as Adverbs.à When an adjective is an adverb: Predicate adjectives will function as adverbs when placed after a conjugated verb and you do not need to make any changes to the predicate adjective. Unlike English, Germans do not make a distinction in form between a predicate adjective and an adverb. See Adverbs of Manner and Degree.à Types Adverbs are divided into four main groups: PlaceTimeManner and DegreeIndicating Cause
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