Adverbs of frequency
To talk about how often you do something, German uses adverbs of frequency like manchmal (sometimes), oft (often), and nie (never).
In a standard main clause, these adverbs typically go after the conjugated verb.
| He sometimes wears a coat. | Er trägt manchmal einen Mantel. |
| I never drink coffee. | Ich trinke nie Kaffee. |
Separable verbs and questions
When using an adverb of frequency with a separable prefix verb, place the adverb right after the conjugated base verb. The prefix still gets sent to the very end of the sentence!
| We never get up early. | Wir stehen nie früh auf. |
| She rarely shops. | Sie kauft selten ein. |
The same word order applies to other frequency adverbs like meistens (usually). In a question, the adverb simply follows the conjugated verb and the subject.
| Do you often do sports? | Macht ihr oft Sport? |
| I usually eat here. | Ich esse meistens hier. |
Fine-tuning with "fast"
You can put the word fast (almost) in front of an adverb to adjust how often something happens. This creates useful phrases like fast immer (almost always) or fast nie (almost never).
| It almost always rains. | Es regnet fast immer. |
| I almost never eat meat. | Ich esse fast nie Fleisch. |
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