Chinese Grammar: How To Use Adverbs

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Written byZoe Mei

Adverbs are words that tell us when, how, why or where an action happens.

The adverbs in Mandarin Chinese are always before an adjective or a verb.

Note: In English, adverbs are usually formed by adding -ly to adjectives. In Chinese, many adverbs are formed from adjectives, simply by adding the suffix -de to adjectives.

  Slow - 慢 - Màn Quick - 快 - Kuài
English Adverbs Slowly Quickly
Chinese Adverbs 慢 慢 地 快 地
Pinyin Adverbs Màn man de Kuài de

Adverbs of Time - 时间副词 - shí jiān  fù cí

English Chinese Pinyin
yesterday 昨 天 zuó tiān 
today 今 天 jīn tiān
tomorrow 明 天 míng tiān
now 现 在 xiàn zài
then 然 后 rán hòu 
later 后 来 hòu lái
tonight 今 晚 jīn wǎn
right now 马 上 / 立 即 mǎ shàng / lì jí
last night 昨 晚 zuó wǎn
this morning 今 早 jīn zǎo
next week 下 周 xià zhōu
already 已 经 yǐ jīng
recently 最 近 zuì jìn
lately 近 来 jìn lái 
soon 不 久 bù jiǔ
immediately 立 即 lì jí
still réng
yet 还 / 仍 然 / 尚 hái or huán / réng rán / shàng
ago 以 前 yǐ qián

Adverbs of Place - 地点副词 - dì diǎn  fù cí

English Chinese Pinyin
here 这 里 zhè lǐ
there 那 里 nà lǐ 
over there 在 那 边 zài nà biān
everywhere 到 处 dào chù
anywhere 任 何 地 方 rèn hé de fāng
nowhere 无 处 wú chù
home 在 家 / 回 家 zài jiā / huí jiā
away 离 开 / 走 开 lí kāi /zǒu kāi 
out 出 外 / 在 外 chū wài / zài wài
out 向 外 / 离 去 xiàng wài / lí qù

Adverbs of Manner - 方式副词 - fāng shì  fù cí 

English Chinese Pinyin
very 很 / 非 常 hěn / fēi cháng
quite 相 当 xiāng dāng
pretty 相 当 / 颇 xiāng dāng / pō
really 真 正 地 / 确 实 地 zhēn zhèng de / què shí de
fast 快 速 地 / 迅 速 地 kuài sù de / xùn sù de
well hǎo / hào
hard 努 力 地 nǔ lì di / nǔ lì de
quickly 很 快 hěn kuài
slowly 慢 慢 地 màn màn de
carefully 小 心 地 / 认 真 地 xiǎo xīn dì / rèn zhēn de
hardly 几 乎 不 jī hū bù
barely 几 乎 不 jī hū bù
mostly 大 部 分 / 主 要 地 dà bù fēn / zhǔ yào de
almost 几 乎 jī hū
absolutely 绝 对 jué duì
together 一 起 yī qǐ
alone dān / chán

Adverbs of Frequency - 频度副词 - pín dù  fù cí 

English Chinese Pinyin
always 总 是 zǒng shì
frequently 常 常 / 频 繁 地 cháng cháng / pín fán de
frequently 经 常 地 jīng cháng de
usually 通 常 / 平 常 tōng cháng / píng cháng
sometimes 有 时 yǒu shí
occasionally 偶 尔 ǒu ěr 
seldom 很 少 hěn shǎo
rarely 很 少 hěn shǎo
never 从不 cóng bù

Examples:

I play soccer sometimes.

有 时 我 玩 足 球

Yǒu shí wǒ wán zúqiú

I go to school every day.

我 去 上 学 , 每 天

Wǒ qù shàngxué, měi tiān

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