| 25.3 Formation of Adverbs |
We are going to present some comments about the formation
of adverbs, but we have to admit, it's probably only
interesting for the linguistically interested reader.
Actually the formation of German adverbs does not really
follow any rules; therefore it is probably best to just
learn them by heart, just like any other word.
| In English we have the rule, that adjectives become adverbs with the ending -ly. | |
| easy | => easily |
| slow | => slowly |
| quick | => quickly |
In German there are different endings, e.g. -weise or -mässig.
| Example | |
| adjective | adverb |
| dumm (stupid) | => dummerweise |
| intelligent (intelligent) | => intelligenterweise |
It is also possible to form adverbs from nouns.
| Adverbs formed from nouns | |
| noun | adverb |
| bucket | => in buckets (bucketly) |
| Eimer | => eimerweise |
| Sie haben eimerweise Kirschen geklaut. | => They stole cherries in buckets. |
| pig | like pigs |
| Sau | saumässig |
| Sie haben sich saumässig benommen. | They behaved like pigs. |
But adverbs cannot be created from every noun. Even though probably people would understand, but you wouldn't find them in a dictionary.
| example | |
| incorrecto: Ich fahre jetzt aufzugsmässig in den dritten Stock. | = I go liftwise to the third floor. |
| incorrecto: Ich schreibe bleistiftmässig einen Brief. | = I write pencilly a letter. |
These phrases can be created as a joke. You might find them in spoken or even in written language, but hardly in a dictionary.
| contact privacy statement imprint |
