So, you’re keen to tell your Afrikaans friends what you’ve been up to. And you have all the right werkwoorde (“verbs“) to manage this well! But if you are, for instance, really excited about something you did, or about something that happened, verbs alone will be inadequate. You’ll have to use an adverb in Afrikaans here. It’s the difference between saying: “The group laughs” and “The group laughs happily.”

In the last sentence, “happily” is the adverb, and its omission could affect the meaning of the sentence, won’t you agree? For this reason, we consider adverbs important at AfrikaansPod101, so let us help you master them easily! In fact, why not start with our blog post that tells you almost everything about Afrikaans verbs? Then, dare to dive into the deep end with these tricky Afrikaans conjugations…

1. Why is Mastering Adverbs in Afrikaans Important?
2. Definition of an Adverb in Afrikaans
3. Adverbs as Adjectives and Vice Versa
4. Lists of Adverbs in Afrikaans
5. AfrikaansPod101 Can Help You Ace Your Adverbs in Afrikaans!

1. Why is Mastering Adverbs in Afrikaans Important?

As mentioned, an adverb can affect the meaning of what’s being expressed. Accuracy when reporting something could be especially crucial in situations like the following (underlined words are bywoorde):

1) When visiting the doctor, it would help if you could say: My elmboog beweeg glad nie. (“My elbow doesn’t move at all.”) Or maybe: Ek sluk moeilik. (“I swallow with difficulty.”) Knowing how to use Afrikaans adverbs properly can help a medical professional help you better!

2) When visiting the police or appearing in court, it would help if you could report: Hy het my baie hard geslaan. (“He hit me very hard.”) Or: Die kar het te vinnig gery. (“The car drove too fast.”)

3) When you have to give directions, it would help if you could instruct: Draai links by die verkeerslig. (“Turn left at the traffic light.”) Or: Stop hier. (“Stop here.”)

4) When you talk to your Afrikaans-speaking manager or employer, it would help if you could say: Ek het gister gewerk. (“I worked yesterday.”) Or: Hy het laat aangekom. (“He arrived late.”)

These are only a few examples, but it should be clear that adverbs are important to know and master!

2. Definition of an Adverb in Afrikaans

As mentioned, an adverb in Afrikaans is called a bywoord. Like in English, it describes or says something about the verb (werkwoord) in a sentence.

According to Wikipedia, adverbs usually give more information about manner, place, time, frequency, degree, and so on. They answer questions about how, when, where, and why something happened, and an adverb can be composed of one word or many words (called an adverbial phrase or clause). 

3. Adverbs as Adjectives and Vice Versa

Did you know that all adjectives can be used as adverbs too?

For instance:

i) Die gelukkige kind lag. (“The happy child laughs.”) 

The bolded words are adjectives. Do you know the grammar rule here? Why is gelukkige considered an adjective? Let us know in the comments!

ii) Hy voel gelukkig. (“He feels happy.”) 

This time, the bolded words are adverbs, because they describe or say more about the action (voel means “feel”).

4. Lists of Adverbs in Afrikaans

There are several types of adverbs in Afrikaans, grouped according to their functions:

1. Time (Tyd)

2. Place (Plek)

3. Manner (Wyse)

4. Degree and Frequency (Graad / Hoeveelheid)

5. Modality (Modaliteit)

6. Causality (Oorsaak)

7. Circumstance (Omstandigheid)

8. Relation and Restriction (Verhouding en Beperking)

9. Reason (Rede)

10. Measurement (Maat)

11. Purpose (Doel)

12. Inquiring (Vraend)

As you work through these, you will find that the adverbs often overlap in function. 

Adverbs of Place / Bywoorde van Plek

English	Afrikaans
“Outside” (1) “The parrot flies (to the) outside.”	Buitentoe Die papegaai vlieg buitentoe.
“Outside” (2) “We barbeque outside.”	Buite Ons braai buite.
“Inside” (1) “It’s cold; stay inside.”	Binne Dis koud – bly binne.
“Inside” (2) “Look inside.”	Binnekant Kyk in die binnekant.
“Around” “He looks around.”	Rond Hy kyk rond.
“There” (1) “We will go there.”	Daarheen / Daarnatoe (Used when going somewhere.) Ons sal daarheen gaan.
“There” (2) “Look there.”	Daar. (Used when referring to directions.) Kyk daar.
“Internally” “He was wounded internally.”	Inwendig Hy is inwendig gewond.
“Left” & “Right” “First turn left, then right.”	Links & Regs Draai eers links, dan regs.
“Up”/”Upwards” & “Down”/”Downwards” “Look up, then down.”	Op/Opwaarts & Af/Afwaarts Kyk op, dan af.
“Here” (1) “Come here.”	Hier/Hiernatoe Kom hier.
“Here” (2) “We moved here.”	Hierheen Ons het hierheen getrek.
“Forwards” & “Backwards” “First walk forwards, and then backwards.”	Voerentoe & Agtertoe Loop eers vorentoe, en dan agtertoe.
“All together” “All together, there were four.”	Als tesame Als tesame was daar vier.
“There” (3) “Are you going there?”	Soontoe Gaan jy soontoe?
“Everywhere” “I search everywhere.”	Orals Ek soek orals.
“Together” “We all stand together.”	Saam Ons almal staan saam.
Adverbs of Manner Bywoorde van Wyse
“Different” “He is different.”	Anders Hy is anders.
“Quietly” “The snake moves quietly.”	Suutjies / Saggies Die slang beweeg suutjies.
“Silent” / “Quiet” “The mouse keeps quiet.”	Stil Die muis bly stil.
“Delicious” “The dessert tastes delicious.”	Heerlik Die nagereg smaak heerlik.
“Beautiful” “The flowers are beautiful.”	Pragtig Die blomme is pragtig.
“Pretty” “The bedroom looks pretty.”	Mooi Die slaapkamer lyk mooi.
“Bad” “The bathroom looks bad.”	Sleg Die badkamer lyk sleg.
“Off” “The atmosphere feels off.”	Af Die atmosfeer voel af.
“Blindly” “He flees blindly.”	Blindelings Hy vlug blindelings.
“Curtly” “She replies curtly.”	Kortaf Sy antwoord kortaf.
“A bit” / “A little” “It drips a bit.”	Effens Dit drup effens.
“Wonderfully” “The orchestra plays wonderfully.”	Wonderlik Die orkes speel wonderlik.
“Clearly” “Please speak clearly.”	Duidelik Asseblief praat duidelik.
“Rather” “You should rather go home.”	Liewer Jy moet liewer huistoe gaan.
“Diligently” “The girl works diligently.”	Fluks Die meisie werk fluks.
“Upside-down” “The truck lies upside-down.”	Onderstebo Die trok lê onderstebo.
“Slowly” “The old man walks slowly.”	Stadig / Langsaam Die ou man loop stadig.
Lit. “rest-rest.” Meaning: resting intermittently “She moves along, resting often.”	Rus-rus Sy vorder rus-rus.
Lit. “searching-searching.” Meaning: searching around. “The cat moves (while) searching around.” Note: The last two are examples of double-adverbs, a speech convention in Afrikaans that denotes and emphasizes continuous action. Other adverbs that can be used like this are: Laugh Cry Sing Jump Look Play	Soek-soek Die kat beweeg soek-soek rond. Lag-lag Huil-huil Sing-sing Jump-jump Kyk-kyk Speel-speel
“Searchingly” “He looks searchingly.”	Soekend Hy kyk soekend.
Adverbs of Degree and Frequency / Bywoorde van Graad en Hoeveelheid
“Very” “The day is very beautiful.”	Baie Die dag is baie mooi.
“Way too” “You’re paying way too much for it.”	Veels Jy betaal veels te veel daarvoor.
“Approximately” “There are approximately ten places left.”	Ongeveer Daar is ongeveer tien plekke oor.
“More or less” “The play is more or less finished.”	Byna Die opvoering is byna klaar.
“Only” “He is only five years old.”	Net Hy is net vyf jaar oud.
“Terribly” “The test was terribly difficult.”	Vreeslik Die toets was vreeslik moeilik.
“Fairly” “We were fairly early.”	Taamlik Ons was taamlik vroeg.
“Scarcely” “The old dog can scarcely walk.”	Skaars Die ou hond kan skaars loop.
“Not at all” “That is not at all difficult.”	Gladnie Dit is gladnie moeilik nie.
“Highly”(Very) “I’m highly pleased with the results.”	Hoogs Ek is hoogs tevrede met die resultate.
“Totally” “The movie’s plot was totally outrageous.”	Heeltemal Die film se plot was heeltemal verregaande.
“Not really” “They are not really accommodating.”	Nie juis Hulle is nie juis tegemoetkomend nie.
“Especially” “The boy, especially, is clever.”	Veral Die seun veral is slim.
“Mainly” “We sell mainly software.”	Meestal Ons verkoop meestal sagteware.
“So” “He was so happy.”	So Hy was so gelukkig.
“Almost” “He almost cried.”	Amper Hy het amper gehuil.
“Enough” “Have you had enough?”	Genoeg Het julle genoeg gehad?
“By far” “She is, by far, the prettiest.”	Verreweg Sy is verreweg die mooiste.
“Moreover” “The priest was moreover late.”	Boonop Die priester was boonop laat.
Adverbs of Modality / Bywoorde van Modaliteit These adverbs in Afrikaans are divided into six categories: 1. Confirmation 2. Denial 3. Doubt 4. Wish 5. Concession 6. Conditional Note: Don’t break your head too much over these at first! They’re for more advanced Afrikaans studies.
Confirmation: “Really” (1): “I really don’t know who he is.” “Really” (2): “He really tried.” “Indeed”: “We are indeed grateful.” “Definitely”: “The guy is definitely talented.” “Truly”: “They are truly good dancers.” Untranslatable confirmation adverbs of modality:	Bevestiging: Werklik: Ek weet werklik nie wie hy is nie. Regtig: Hy het regtig probeer. Inderdaad: Ons is inderdaad dankbaar. Beslis: Die ou is beslis talentvol. Gewis: Hulle is gewis goeie dansers. immers, mos, bepaald, tog, stellig
Denial: “Never” (or “never ever”): “I would never do that.” “Not at all”: “That is not at all what she means.” “Impossible”: “The task felt impossible.” “In vain”: “He tries in vain.” “Yet” / “Not”: “Yet, not all was in vain.” “(Not) at all”: “Mila doesn’t mind at all.” “Never even”: “She never even saw it coming.” “(Not) completely”: “I don’t trust them completely.” “Absolutely” / “Completely”: “They absolutely refuse to leave.”	Ontkenning: Nog nooit … nie: Ek sal dit nooit doen nie. Gladnie … nie: Dit is gladnie wat sy bedoel nie. Onmoontlik: Die taak het onmoontlik gevoel. Tevergeefs: Hy probeer tevergeefs. Tog nie: Alles was tog nie verniet nie. Geensins: Mila gee geensins om nie. Nooit eens: Sy het dit nooit eens sien kom nie. Nie heeltemal nie: Ek vertrou hulle nie heeltemal nie. Volstrek: Hulle weier volstrek om te gaan.
Doubt: “Maybe”: “Maybe we’ll go next year.” “Perhaps”: “Perhaps Paul will join us.” “Presumably”: “The girl is presumably his daughter.” “Sure” / “Unsure”: “He is sure this time.” “Probably”: “The plane is probably leaving on time.”	Twyfel: Miskien: Miskien gaan ons volgende jaar. Dalk: Dalk kom Paul saam met ons. Vermoedelik: Die meisie is vermoedelik sy dogter. Seker / Onseker: Hy is seker hierdie keer. Waarskynlik: Die vliegtuig vertrek waarskynlik betyds.
Wish: “Please”: “Come over, please.” “Please-please”: “Let him play longer, please-please!” “If only”: “If only she’d leave!”	Wens: Asseblief: Kom oor, asseblief. Asseblieftog: Laat hom langer speel, asseblieftog! Tog maar … net: As sy tog maar net sal gaan!
Concession:  “However”: “However, we won’t stay long.” “Still”: “Still, don’t hurry.” “Nevertheless”: “He nevertheless left too early.” Other concession adverbs of modality:	Toegewing: Egter: Ons sal egter nie lank bly nie. Nogtans: Moet nogtans nie haastig wees nie. Desnieteenstaande / Nietemin: Hy het nietemin te gou geloop. darem, tog, intussen
Conditional: “Preferably”: “Preferably, be early.” “Otherwise”: “Otherwise, you’ll have to go see the doctor.” “Only:” “She will agree only if he asks.”	Voorwaardelik: Verkieslik: Wees verkieslik vroeg. Anders: Anders moet jy die dokter gaan sien. Slegs: Sy sal instem slegs as hy vra.
Adverbs of Causality / Bywoorde van Oorsaaklikheid
“Therefore” “He therefore failed.”	Daarom Hy het daarom misluk.
“About this” “We need to talk about this.”	Hieroor Ons moet hieroor praat.
“Through this” “It was salvaged through this.”	Daardeur Dit is daardeur gered.
“Hereby” “I hereby declare you husband and wife.”	Hierdeur Ek verklaar julle hierdeur man en vrou.
Adverbs of Circumstance / Bywoorde van Omstandigheid
“Incessantly” “They talk incessantly.”	Onophoudelik Hulle praat onophoudelik.
“Unexpectedly” “He returned unexpectedly.”	Onverwags Hy het onverwags teruggekom.
“Suddenly” “The night is suddenly quiet.”	Meteens Die nag is meteens stil.
“Alone” “The wolf walks alone.”	Alleen Die wolf loop alleen.
“Together” “We walk together.”	Saam Ons loop saam.
“In vain” “The man knocks in vain.”	Vergeefs Die man klop vergeefs.
“Playfully” “She taps his hand playfully.”	Speelsgewys Sy tik sy hand speelsgewys.
“Unconditionally” “The woman promises unconditionally.”	Onvoorwaardelik Die vrou belowe onvoorwaardelik.
Adverbs of Relation and Restriction / Bywoorde van Verhouding en Beperking
“Only” (1) “The cat only blinks.”	Net Die kat knip net (sy oë).
“Only” (2) “It only moves if you touch it.”	Alleen Dit beweeg alleen as jy dit aanraak.
“Only” (3) “Three were only wounded.”	Slegs Drie was slegs gewond.
“In part” “The finger moves in part.”	Gedeeltelik Die vinger beweeg gedeeltelik.
“About this” “The teacher talks about this.”	Hieroor Die onderwyser praat hieroor.
Adverbs of Reason / Bywoorde van Rede
“Therefore” (1) “Therefore, she wouldn’t sleep.”	Daarom / Daaroor Daarom wou sy nie slaap nie.
“Therefore” (2) “They therefore turn.”	Dus Hulle draai dus.
“For this reason” “She came for this reason.”	Hieroor Sy het hieroor gekom.
Adverbs of Means / Bywoorde van Middel
“With this” / “Herewith” “I eat with this.”	Hiermee Ek eet hiermee.
“With (that)” “The puppy plays with that.”	Daarmee Die hondjie speel daarmee.
Adverbs of Measurement / Bywoorde van Maat
“Little” (1) / “Less” / “The least” “The cook dishes up less.”	Min / Minder / Die minste Die kok skep minder op.
“A lot” “She drinks a lot.”	Baie Sy drink baie.
“Little by little” “The money accumulates little by little.”	Bietjie-bietjie Die geld vermeerder bietjie-bietjie.
“More” / “The most” “They want more.”	Meer / Die meeste Hulle wil meer hê.
“Little” (2) “The boy gives little.”	Weinig Die seun gee weinig.
Adverbs of Purpose / Bywoorde van Doel
“For this” “For this, we use a spoon.”	Hiervoor Hiervoor gebruik ons ‘n lepel.
“For that” “For that, we use a knife.”	Daarvoor Daarvoor gebruik ons ‘n mes.
“With this” “She rubs the oil with this.”	Hiermee Sy vryf die olie hiermee.
“With that” “The car moves with that.”	Daarmee Die kar beweeg daarmee.
Inquiring or Asking Adverbs / Vraende Bywoorde These are also adverbs of time, manner, measurement, etc. Each can be used as a question on its own, as well (as long as the context is clear, of course).
“When?” “When do they arrive?”	Wanneer? Wanneer kom hulle?
“Why?” “Why does he laugh?”	Hoekom? / Waarom? Hoekom lag hy?
“Who?” “Who walks there?”	Wie? Wie loop daar?
“Where … from?” “Where is the lady from?”	Waarvandaan? Waarvandaan kom die dame?
“Where … to?” “Where are you going to?”	Waarheen? Waarheen gaan jy?
“What time?” “What time does the plane leave?”	Hoe laat? Hoe laat vertrek die vliegtuig?
“How many?” “How many guests drink coffee?”	Hoeveel? Hoeveel gaste drink koffie?
“How big?” “How big is the snake?”	Hoe groot? Hoe groot is die slang?
“How tall?” (1) “How tall is the tower?”	Hoe hoog? Hoe hoog is die toring?
“How tall?” (2) “How tall are you?”	Hoe lank? (1) Hoe lank is jy?
“How long?” “How long has it been?”	Hoe lank? (2) Hoe lank is dit nou?
“Which?” “Which radio plays?”	Watter? Watter radio speel?

5. AfrikaansPod101 Can Help You Ace Your Adverbs in Afrikaans!

With us, you get to learn these adverbs and how to use them in easy, fun ways, and from a native Afrikaans speaker, too! Also, if you sign up with us, you’ll get immediate access to free tools, such as hundreds of vocabulary lists, a comprehensive core word list, a key phrase list, and a word of the day every day. That’s a bargain!

So, sign up now for a free lifetime account, and you’ll immediately be able to use other tools too, such as these hugely helpful Flashcards. You’ll also get space to create your own personalized Word Bank.

With application and persistence, and the help of our fantastic team, you’ll be able to speak Afrikaans like  a native in no time at all! Enroll today.

Before you leave, let us know in the comments if we missed any important adverb in Afrikaans that you still want to know! We’ll be glad to help.