Top 30 Adverbs in English

The Most Common Adverbs in English

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When first learning about adverbs, students are taught that adverbs are words that describe verbs. More specifically, they are taught that adverbs tell us how an action is performed. For example:

Rachel ran quickly.
John sang loudly.

While this is a great way to start teaching adverbs, it only covers a fraction of the role of adverbs. Below is a reminder of the full scope of adverbs, but, for now, let's remember that adverbs tell us not only how but also when, where, how often, to what extent, why, and under what condition. Also, let's not forget that adverbs can modify adjectives, other adverbs, and even whole independent clauses as well as verbs.

Table of Contents

Reminder about Adverbs
Top 30 Adverbs
Example Sentences for Each Adverb
Why These 30 Adverbs Are Important
Key Point
Test Time!

Reminder about Adverbs

Adverbs do more than describe verbs. They are a diverse word category. For example, "here," "too," "quickly," and "very" are all adverbs. To a learner's eye, these words do not look like they come from the same word category.

A Reminder about Adverbs

Adverbs are words that modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. They provide more information about how, when, where, in what manner, or to what extent an action is performed. For example, in the sentence "She sings beautifully," the word "beautifully" is an adverb modifying the verb "sings," telling us how she sings.

Adverbs are categorized into different types based on what they express:

Adverbs of manner describe how an action is done (e.g., quickly, slowly, carefully).
Adverbs of place indicate where an action is done (e.g., here, there, everywhere).
Adverbs of time indicate when an action is done (e.g., now, later, yesterday).
Adverbs of frequency show how often an action is done (e.g., always, often, seldom).
Adverbs of degree indicate the level or intensity of an action, an adjective, or another adverb (e.g., very, quite, almost).

We also have interrogative adverbs, which are used in questions relating to reason, manner, time, or place (e.g., why, how, when, where).

Top 30 Adverbs

Here are the top 30 adverbs for English learners. These have been specifically selected as adverbs that modify verbs. Therefore, most of these adverbs are adverbs of manner (telling us how), adverbs of frequency (telling us how often), or adverbs of time (telling us when).

These adverbs will be immediately useful for language learners because they provide commonly used and essential details about how actions are performed, helping learners to express their thoughts more precisely. Also, learning such adverbs follows logically after learning verbs, which are among the first word types taught.

Adverbs of Manner

There are 14 adverbs of manner in the top-30 list. Remember that these tell us how an action is performed.

well, quickly, slowly, happily, sadly, badly, easily, honestly, successfully, loudly, confidently, carefully, angrily, accidentally

Adverbs of Frequency

There are 9 adverbs of frequency in the top-30 list. Remember that these tell us how often an action is performed.

always, never, often, daily, weekly, monthly, annually, sometimes, rarely

Adverbs of Time

There are 7 adverbs of time in the top-30 list. Remember that these tell us when an action is performed.

now, today, yesterday, tomorrow, in the morning, in the afternoon, at night

Example Sentences for Each Adverb

Below are three example sentences for each of the top 30 adverbs. Each entry includes translations in German, Spanish, French, Russian, and Arabic. These have been included to help explain the meaning of each adverb to non-English students.

(1) well

She sings well.
He played well.
The day went well.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
well	gut	bien	bien	хорошо	جيدا

(2) quickly

She finished her work quickly.
The dog ran quickly after the ball.
The news spread quickly through the town.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
quickly	schnell	rápidamente	vite	быстро	بسرعة

(3) slowly

The tortoise crossed the road slowly.
She spoke slowly to ensure we understood.
The sun fell slowly below the horizon.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
slowly	langsam	lentamente	lentement	медленно	ببطء

(4) happily

The children played happily in the park.
She skipped home happily.
They happily accepted the invitation.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
happily	glücklich	felizmente	heureusement	счастливо	بسعادة

(5) sadly

He walked home sadly.
She looked at her old photos sadly.
The news was received sadly by everyone.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
sadly	traurig	tristemente	tristement	грустно	بحزن

(6) badly

He rode the horse badly.
He injured his leg badly.
The cake was badly burnt.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
badly	schlecht	mal	mal	плохо	بشكل سيء

(7) easily

She easily solved the puzzle.
He climbed the mountain easily.
He easily convinced them to join his team.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
easily	leicht	fácilmente	facilement	легко	بسهولة

(8) honestly

He spoke honestly.
She spoke to the policeman honestly.
The child answered honestly.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
honestly	ehrlich	honestamente	honnêtement	честно	بصدق

(9) successfully

The team completed the project successfully.
She successfully negotiated a better deal.
The mission was successfully accomplished.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
successfully	erfolgreich	con éxito	avec succès	успешно	بنجاح

(10) loudly

The children played loudly in the garden.
The football fans cheered loudly.
Our music will be played loudly.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
loudly	laut	fuerte	fort	громко	بصوت عال

(11) confidently

He walked into the room confidently.
She confidently presented her ideas to the group.
The athlete approached the starting line confidently.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
confidently	selbstbewusst	con confianza	avec confiance	уверенно	بثقة

(12) carefully

He carefully arranged the flowers in the vase.
She read the contract carefully before signing.
The soldier moved the wires carefully.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
carefully	sorgfältig	con cuidado	soigneusement	осторожно	بعناية

(13) angrily

He angrily slammed the door.
The customer complained angrily about the service.
She angrily denied the accusations.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
angrily	wütend	enfadado	avec colère	сердито	بغضب

(14) accidentally

She accidentally spilled coffee on the table.
The email was accidentally sent to the wrong person.
He accidentally broke the vase while cleaning.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
accidentally	aus Versehen	accidental- mente	accidentelle- ment	случайно	عن طريق الخطأ

(15) always

She always smiles when I see her.
He always jogs in the morning.
The store is always busy on weekends.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
always	immer	siempre	toujours	всегда	دائما

(16) never

I never wear white socks.
She never forgets her friends' birthdays.
He never eats fast food.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
never	nie	nunca	jamais	никогда	أبدا

(17) often

He often works late.
They often go walking in the mountains.
She often visits her grandmother on weekends.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
often	oft	a menudo	souvent	часто	غالبا

(18) daily

He exercises daily.
She reads the newspaper daily.
The gardener waters the plants daily.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
daily	täglich	diariamente	quotidiennement	ежедневно	يوميا

(19) weekly

She cleans her house weekly.
The team holds meetings weekly to discuss progress.
He reviews his expenses weekly.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
weekly	wöchentlich	semanal- mente	hebdomadaire- ment	еженедельно	أسبوعيا

(20) monthly

He pays his bills monthly.
She updates her website monthly.
We phone each other monthly.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
monthly	monatlich	mensual- mente	mensuelle- ment	ежемесячно	شهريا

(21) annually

She visits her parents annually.
The festival occurs annually in spring.
Our drivers are tested annually.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
annually	jährlich	anualmente	annuellement	ежегодно	سنويا

(22) sometimes

Sometimes I ride my bicycle to work.
Sometimes I go for a walk in the park to clear my mind.
She sometimes prefers tea over coffee in the mornings.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
sometimes	manchmal	a veces	parfois	иногда	أحيانًا

(23) rarely

She rarely eats out.
I rarely watch television.
Rarely do they miss an opportunity to travel.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
rarely	selten	raramente	rarement	редко	نادراً

(24) now

They are now starting last lap of the race.
She now understands the importance of the studying.
He is now ready to present his ideas.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
now	jetzt	ahora	maintenant	сейчас	الآن

(25) today

She has a meeting today.
He is starting his new job today.
The festival begins today.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
today	heute	hoy	aujourd'hui	сегодня	اليوم

(26) yesterday

We visited the museum yesterday.
He completed the project yesterday.
The weather was sunny yesterday.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
yesterday	gestern	ayer	hier	вчера	أمس

(27) tomorrow

They will go walking tomorrow.
She will receive her exam results tomorrow.
He has a dentist appointment tomorrow.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
tomorrow	morgen	mañana	demain	завтра	غدا

(28) in the morning

She jogs in the morning.
In the morning, the city is quiet.
He reads the newspaper in the morning.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
in the morning	am Morgen	por la mañana	le matin	утром	في الصباح

(29) in the afternoon

She often sleeps in the afternoon.
The streets are busier in the afternoon.
It is too hot to go outside in the afternoon.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
in the afternoon	am Nachmittag	por la tarde	dans l'après-midi	после полудня	في العصر

(30) at night

The city is amazing at night.
He prefers to study at night.
At night, the temperature drops significantly.

English	German	Spanish	French	Russian	Arabic
at night	in der Nacht	por la noche	la nuit	ночью	في الليل

Why These 30 Adverbs Are Important

The adverbs in this lesson are all commonly used in everyday conversation. They express important – often essential – information about how actions are performed. If you're an English tutor, you should strive to teach all 30 of these adverbs to your students as mastering them will provide a strong boost to their conversational skills, helping with:

Clarity and Precision. Adding an adverb like "quickly" or "slowly" makes a significant difference to the meaning of a sentence.
Time Relationships. Adding an adverb like "now" or "weekly" is an efficient and accurate way to express when an action occurred or how often.

Some adverbs can be omitted from a sentence without any significant loss of meaning. However, these adverbs express such fundamental ideas, they are often the key information in their sentence.