Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time tell you when something happens: yesterday, today, tomorrow, often, now.
Can recognize Adverbs of time in a short Latin prompt
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Marcus reads.
Julia sees the tablet.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Adverbs of time tell you when something happens: yesterday, today, tomorrow, often, now. They are short, unchanging words, and because they never take endings they are easy wins for a beginning reader. They also anchor the tense of a passage, so noticing them helps you decide whether a verb is past, present, or looking ahead.
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| heri | yesterday |
| hodie | today |
| cras | tomorrow |
| mane | in the morning |
| vespere | in the evening |
| nunc | now |
| saepe | often |
| semper | always |
Examples:
- Heri in foro eram. = Yesterday I was in the forum.
- Hodie mane laboro. = Today I am working in the morning.
- Cras ad villam ambulabimus. = Tomorrow we will walk to the country house.
- Marcus saepe dormit. = Marcus often sleeps.
For English speakers: in English an adverb of time usually sits at the front or the very end of the clause ("Yesterday I was there"). In Latin it can drop in almost anywhere, and it will often sit right before the verb: Marcus hodie venit = "Marcus is coming today." Do not expect it in a fixed slot. Also do not try to add a preposition: mane already means "in the morning" by itself, with no in attached. Let these words fix the time frame, then read the verb ending for the person.
Marcus reads.
Example for Adverbs of time.
Julia sees the tablet.
A short A1 sentence with visible endings.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises