Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn German time of day adverbs such as morgens, vormittags, and abends. This lesson teaches how to use these adverbs to indicate when actions occur throughout the day, with examples and tips on grammar differences compared to English.
Adverb (adverb)Beispiel (Example)
morgensMorgens ist es manchmal windig.  (In the mornings it is sometimes windy.)
vormittagsVormittags regnet es oft ein bisschen.  (In the mornings, it often rains a little.)
mittagsMittags scheint meistens die Sonne.  (At midday, the sun usually shines.)
nachmittagsNachmittags ist es noch immer warm. (In the afternoons it is still warm.)
abendsAbends wird es kalt.  (In the evening it gets cold.)
nachtsNachts bleibt es kalt.  (At night it stays cold.)

Exceptions!

  1. If they give a precise time reference in a specific sentence (e.g. „um 8 Uhr morgens“), then an additional noun or a more precise time indication may be necessary.

Exercise 1: Tageszeiten als Adverbien

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Nachmittags, nachmittags, Abends, Nachts, abends, Vormittags, Morgens

1.
19:00: Freitag ... ist Date-Night.
(7:00 pm: Friday evening is date night.)
2.
11:00: ... arbeite ich oft in der Sonne.
(11:00 a.m. I often work in the sun in the morning.)
3.
16:30: ... fängt es oft an zu regnen.
(16:30: It often starts to rain in the afternoon.)
4.
17:15: Samstag ... gehe ich normalerweise einkaufen.
(17:15: On Saturday afternoons, I usually go shopping.)
5.
8:45: ... trinke ich immer einen Kaffee.
(8:45 in the morning I always drink a coffee.)
6.
20:30: ... lese ich oft ein Buch.
(20:30: In the evening, I often read a book.)
7.
9:15: ... ist das Wetter oft erst schlecht.
(9:15: In the morning, the weather is often bad at first.)
8.
1:00: ... ist es sehr kalt.
(1:00 a.m. It is very cold at night.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Wir laufen _____ im Park, wenn die Luft frisch ist.

(We run _____ in the park when the air is fresh.)

2. _____ scheint die Sonne warm auf der Terrasse.

(_____ the sun shines warmly on the terrace.)

3. Wir haben heute _____ schlechtes Wetter, es ist sonnig.

(We don’t have _____ bad weather today, it is sunny.)

4. Im Winter wird es _____ sehr schnell dunkel.

(In winter it gets dark very quickly _____.)

5. Der Wetterbericht sagt, dass es _____ regnet.

(The weather report says that it does not rain _____.)

6. Ich trinke _____ keinen Kaffee, sondern lieber Tee.

(I don’t drink _____ coffee, but rather tea.)

Understanding Time of Day Adverbs in German

This lesson introduces you to German adverbs that describe different times of the day. These adverbs help you specify when an action occurs, such as mornings, afternoons, or evenings. Key adverbs you will learn include morgens (in the mornings), vormittags (late mornings), mittags (at noon), nachmittags (in the afternoons), abends (in the evenings), and nachts (at night).

Common Usage

These time-of-day adverbs often describe habitual actions or weather conditions related to specific parts of the day. For example, Morgens ist es manchmal windig (In the mornings it is sometimes windy) and Abends wird es kalt (In the evenings it gets cold). Pay attention to how these adverbs can be used without additional prepositions, making your sentences sound natural and fluent.

Specifying Precise Times

If you want to indicate a precise time, you may need to add more specific expressions alongside the adverb, like um 8 Uhr morgens (at 8 o'clock in the morning). This helps clarify exactly when something takes place.

Grammar and Sentence Structure

In German, these adverbs do not change form and are placed in the sentence to show the time of the action naturally. They often come at the beginning or near the start of a sentence for emphasis. Understanding these adverbs is essential for describing daily routines, weather, schedules, and more.

Language Tips: Differences Between English and German

Unlike English, where you might say "in the morning" or "at night," German combines the time and preposition into a single adverb like morgens or nachts. This makes German expressions more compact. For example, instead of "in the afternoon," you say nachmittags, which literally functions as "afternoons" used adverbially. Remember these differences to improve your sentence flow.

Useful phrases to remember include:

  • morgens – in the mornings
  • vormittags – in the late mornings
  • mittags – at noon
  • nachmittags – in the afternoons
  • abends – in the evenings
  • nachts – at night

Practicing these adverbs in context will help you describe daily events and weather effectively in German.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 00:54