Genau
Topic test · A1

Adverbs test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
Start the test Read the topic first

One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

He drives fast.

schnell. An adverb takes no ending; German has no equivalent of -ly.

I’m going to the cinema today.

heute ins Kino. Time first, place after. In the third option the verb is also not in second position.

Which one means “never”?

nie. It is already negative, so you don’t add nicht.

What does Ich spiele gern Fußball. mean?

I like playing it. Skill would be gut, frequency would be oft.

In TeKaMoLo, where does place go?

At the end. Temporal → Kausal → Modal → Lokal.

Which one is an adjective, not an adverb?

ein schnelles Auto. It looks at the noun and has an ending — so it is an adjective. The other two look at the verb and have no ending.

Frequency ladder: immer · oft · manchmal · · nie

immer (always) → oft (often) → manchmal (sometimes) → selten (rarely) → nie (never).

What happens when the adverb comes first? — “I’m coming tomorrow.”

When the adverb fills the first position, the verb stays in second position and the subject drops behind it.

schon vs. noch — Bist du fertig?

schon = already (“finished already?”), noch = still. Answer pair: schon fertig ↔ noch nicht.

“Are German adverbs inflected?” — Er singt schön.

An adjective describing the verb is used BARE, like an adverb: Er singt schön. Before a noun it takes an ending: ein schönes Lied.

“Ich gehe ins Kino heute.” is correct.

False. In German the time adverb always comes before the place expression: Ich gehe heute ins Kino.

Ich trinke Kaffee.

I like drinking coffee.

gern. Use gern to say you do something with pleasure.

Build the sentence: Today I’m going to the cinema.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

When a time adverb comes first, the conjugated verb stays in second position and the subject moves behind it.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. Adverbs are never inflected

    An adjective describing the verb stays bare: Er fährt schnell. Before a noun it takes an ending: ein schnelles Auto.

    Er singt schön.

  2. The frequency ladder

    immer → oft → manchmal → selten → nie. Usually placed after the verb: Ich gehe oft ins Kino.

    Ich gehe nie ins Kino.

  3. gern adds liking to a verb

    Ich spiele gern Fußball = I like playing football. Its comparative is lieber.

    Ich trinke gern Kaffee.

  4. An adverb can move to the front

    For emphasis: Heute gehe ich ins Kino. The verb does not move from second place.

    Morgen komme ich.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Er fährt schnelle.

    Er fährt schnell.

    An adjective used as an adverb takes no ending.

  • Morgen ich komme.

    Morgen komme ich.

    When an adverb moves to the front, the verb stays in second position.

  • Ich gern spiele Fußball.

    Ich spiele gern Fußball.

    gern comes after the verb.

  • noch fertig? (when you mean “finished already?”)

    schon fertig?

    schon is “already”, noch is “still”.