Adverbial Complements in German

Unlike the subject, predicate, and object, adverbial determinations (adverbial complements) are not grammatically necessary components of a sentence.

However, for communication and the content of a statement, they are just as important as the other sentence components, as they allow you to more precisely determine the circumstances of an event or a fact.

Above all, the following four adverbial determinations are important:

The Adverbial Determination of Place

The adverbial determination of place indicates the location or direction of an event.

You ask for this type of determination, among other things, with: Wo? Woher? Wohin?

Examples:

• Die Tüte ist im Auto geblieben. (Where?)
• Wir gehen in die Disco. (Whither?)
• Die Versammlung findet in der Kirche statt. (Where?)

The Adverbial Determination of Time

Adverbial determinations of time indicate the temporal circumstances of an event or state.

You ask for this type of determination, among other things, with: Wann? Wie lange? Wie oft?

Examples:

• Meine Großeltern bleiben a week. (How long?)
• Sie fängt morgen auf der Arbeit an. (When?)
• Ich gehe mit meinem Hund zweimal am Tag Gassi. (How often?)

The Adverbial Determination of Manner

You indicate how or under what intentions, accompanying circumstances the event occurs. You ask for this type of determination, among other things, with: Wie? Auf welche Weise? Unter welchen Umständen?

Examples:

• Die neue Lampe strahlt hell. (How?)
• Sie bestand die Prüfung mit Leichtigkeit. (In what way?)

The Adverbial Determination of Cause

With the adverbial determination of cause (causal), you indicate the cause, reason, or intention of an action. You ask for this type of determination, among other things, with: Warum? Wieso? Wozu? or Weshalb?

• Aus Langeweile hat er eine Tüte Chips gegessen. (Why? / For what reason?)

Multiple Adverbial Determinations in the Same Sentence

A sentence can also contain several different adverbial determinations:

• Gestern haben wir unser Gartenfest wegen des schlechten Wetters abgesagt. (When? → temporal) (Why? → causal)