German Adverbs of Time
Talk about today, tomorrow and how often you do things, and use schon, noch and erst like a native.
Time adverbs tell you when or how often something happens. They are short, frequent and easy to drop into any sentence.
The only rule to watch: if one starts the sentence, the verb still comes second.
When: today, tomorrow, now
Morgen means tomorrow, while the morning is der Morgen. So 'tomorrow morning' is morgen früh.
Which day?
- Day −2vorgesternthe day before yesterday
- Day −1gesternyesterday
- Day 0heutetoday
- Day +1morgentomorrow
- Day +2übermorgenthe day after tomorrow
How soon?
- Nowjetztnow
- Minutes awaygleichin a moment, right away
- Laterbaldsoon
- Earliervorhina little while ago
Morgen früh fahre ich nach Köln.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to Cologne.
Warte kurz, ich komme gleich.
Wait a sec, I'll be there in a moment.
How often
Frequency words usually go right after the conjugated verb. Words ending in -s, like morgens, mean 'every morning'.
How often?
- 100%immeralways
- ~80%meistensmostly
- ~60%oftoften
- ~30%manchmalsometimes
- ~10%seltenrarely
- 0%nienever
Regular times
- Morningmorgensin the mornings
- Middaymittagsat lunchtime
- Eveningabendsin the evenings
- Mondaymontagson Mondays
Wir essen abends oft Nudeln.
We often have pasta in the evening.
Sie ist nie pünktlich.
She's never on time.
schon, noch, erst
These three small words show whether something is early, ongoing or late compared with what you expected.
- schon = already, sooner or more than expected
- noch = still; noch nicht = not yet
- nicht mehr = no longer
- erst = only, not until (later than expected)
Bist du schon fertig?
Are you done already?
Ich wohne noch bei meinen Eltern.
I still live with my parents.
Der Film beginnt erst um neun.
The film doesn't start until nine.
Time word first, verb second
A time adverb can start the sentence, but the verb stays in position 2. The subject moves behind the verb.
Heute arbeite ich von zu Hause.
Today I'm working from home.
Gestern waren wir im Kino.
Yesterday we went to the cinema.
Common mistakes
✗
Heute ich arbeite lange.✓ Heute arbeite ich lange.
After a time word in position 1, the verb comes next.
✗
Ich bin schon nicht fertig.✓ Ich bin noch nicht fertig.
'Not yet' is noch nicht.
✗
Der Laden öffnet nur um zehn.✓ Der Laden öffnet erst um zehn.
'Not until' a time is erst, not nur.
Questions learners ask
What's the difference between schon and noch?
Schon means something has already happened; noch means it is still going on. Their negatives are noch nicht (not yet) and nicht mehr (no longer).
Where does a time adverb go in a German sentence?
Either in position 1 followed by the verb, or right after the verb. It usually comes before places: Ich bin heute in Berlin.