A2 → Grammar · Lesson 19 of 22

German Adverbs and Time Expressions (A2)

das Adverb

Before this lesson: make sure you've covered Negation Beyond nicht/kein first.

Adverbs add detail about when, how often, or how something happens. A2 conversation leans heavily on time and sequencing adverbs to describe routines, stories, and plans.

Types you should know

Zeitadverbien

time — zuerst, dann, danach, später

Präpositionen der Zeit

time prepositions — seit, vor, in, für, bis

See it in action

German	English
zuerst	first
dann	then
danach	after that
später	later
inzwischen	meanwhile
wahrscheinlich	probably

Time prepositions

German	Meaning	Example
seit	since / for, ongoing	seit zwei Jahren
vor	ago	vor einer Woche
in	in, future	in einer Woche
bis	until	bis Freitag

Memory trick: "seit" looks backward and keeps going (still true now); "vor" also looks backward but the action is finished.

⚠ Common mistake: Don't confuse "seit" and "vor" — "Ich wohne seit zwei Jahren hier" (still living here) vs "vor zwei Jahren" (a finished, past event).

🎯 Quick check

"Ich lerne ___ einem Jahr Deutsch." (for a year, ongoing)

German Adverbs and Time Expressions (A2)

Types you should know

See it in action

Time prepositions

🎯 Quick check

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