Today's words · 🕰️ Time adverbs

Now, already, still: 10 time words you'll use every day

Add one little time word to a German sentence and it instantly sounds more natural.

A friend calls: ‘Hast du Zeit?’ You're eating right now and want to say you'll call back later — but ‘now’ and ‘later’ just won't come out, so you shout ‘Äh… Moment!’

Today's ten time adverbs are words you'll use dozens of times a day. With them you can make plans, say you're running late and ask ‘Are you done already?’ 🕰️

🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks

jetzt

[YETST]now

📌 Ich habe jetzt keine Zeit.

→ I don't have time now.

💡 Short and urgent, just like its meaning ⏱️ YETST!

Bonus Jetzt oder nie! = Now or never!

heute

[HOY-tuh]today

(adverb)

📌 Heute habe ich keine Zeit.

→ I don't have time today.

💡 Squashed from old hiu tagu, ‘on this day’ 📅 Hoy, it's today!

Bonus heute Abend = this evening · heute Morgen = this morning

gestern

[GES-tern]yesterday

(adverb)

📌 Gestern war ich im Kino.

→ Yesterday I went to the cinema.

💡 Same root as the yester- in yesterday ⏪

Bonus The day before yesterday = vorgestern

morgen

[MOR-gen]tomorrow

(adverb)

📌 Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin.

→ I'm going to Berlin tomorrow.

💡 From der Morgen, morning 🌅 ‘Next morning’ became ‘tomorrow’.

⚠ Small morgen = tomorrow; der Morgen = morning. Tomorrow morning = morgen früh.

schon

[SHOHN]already

📌 Bist du schon fertig?

→ Are you finished already?

💡 Already there before you know it ⚡ Bist du schon da? = Are you here already?

Bonus Komm schon! = Come on!

noch

[NOKH]still; another, more

📌 Ich habe noch eine Frage.

→ I have another question.

💡 Not done yet, still going — that's noch ⏳

Bonus Noch ein Bier, bitte! = Another beer, please!

bald

[BAHLT]soon

📌 Bis bald!

→ See you soon!

💡 Nothing to do with hair 👋 Bis bald! = See you soon!

⚠ False friend: bald = soon. Bald (no hair) is kahl.

gerade

[guh-RAH-duh]just, (right) now; straight

📌 Ich esse gerade.

→ I'm eating right now.

💡 Originally ‘straight’ 📏 Right in the middle of something, straight now.

Bonus Ich esse gerade. = I'm eating right now.

später

[SHPAY-ter]later

📌 Ich rufe dich später an.

→ I'll call you later.

💡 The comparative of spät (late) = later 🐌

Bonus Bis später! = See you later!

sofort

[zo-FORT]immediately, right away

📌 Ich komme sofort!

→ I'm coming right away!

💡 so + fort (forth) = straight off 🏃 Every waiter's favourite line: ‘Komme sofort!’

Bonus Similar: gleich = in a moment

🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture

Germany is famous for punctuality. For an appointment (Termin), people expect you on time, and if you're running late it's polite to let them know: ‘Ich komme zehn Minuten später.’

Sofort and gleich are a fun pair. When a waiter says ‘Komme sofort!’, it can still take a few minutes. How long ‘in a moment’ lasts depends on the person, so don't take it too literally.

Universities have a tradition called the ‘academic quarter’ (akademisches Viertel). If a timetable says ‘c.t.’, the class often starts fifteen minutes after the hour. It varies, so always check! ⏰

✅ Quick quiz

Q. A friend calls and asks if you can talk. How do you say you're in the middle of eating?

① Ich esse gerade.
② Ich habe gestern gegessen.
③ Ich esse bald.

Show the answer

① Ich esse gerade.
gerade = right now, in the middle of doing something.

Talk through your day out loud using heute, jetzt, später and morgen. Bis bald! 👋

🔜 Tomorrow's topic: ❓ Question words