Adverbs are words that can help make your sentences more interesting, because they add more detail to the situation.

Let’s illustrate this with 1 example:

Ech hu keng Zäit. – I have no time.

This is quite a poor sentence. But by adding an adverb such as leider your sentence is more complete and sounds different:

☛ Ech hu leider keng Zäit. – I have no time, unfortunately.

Where should you put an adverb in the sentence?

Adverbs are typically located:

• Immediately after the main verb

☛ Ech hu leider keng Zäit.

• At the beginning of your sentence:

☛ Leider hunn ech keng Zäit.

15 Adverbs to Make Phrases More Interesting

Here are 15 interesting adverbs, along with example sentences for each.

leider – unfortunately

Beispiller (examples): 

• Mir hate leider keng Chance mam Wieder. – We weren’t lucky with the weather, unfortunately.
• Leider hunn ech muer keng Zäit fir Tennis ze spillen. – Unfortunately I’ll have no time to play tennis tomorrow.

onbedéngt  – absolutely

Beispiller (examples): 

• Ech muss onbedéngt haut an d’Apdikt goen. – I must absolutely go to the pharmacy today.
• Wëlls du onbedéngt nees Pizza iessen?  – Do you absolutely want to eat again pizza?

bestëmmt – certainly / definitely

is another way to say sécher 

Beispiller (examples): 

• Hien ass bestëmmt geschwënn hei. – He’ll be here shortly, for sure.
• Du hues bestëmmt Recht .… – You’re certainly right …

hoffentlech – hopefully

Beispiller (examples): 

• Hoffentlech bleift d’Wieder de Weekend esou gutt. – Hopefully the weather will stay so good at the weekend.
• Hoffentlech huet den Zuch keng Verspéidung. – Hopfully the train is not delayed.

zoufälleg – by any chance

is the short form to say zoufällegerweis

Beispiller (examples): 

• Hues du zoufälleg Zäit an der Mëttespaus? – Do you have by any chance time during the lunch break?
• Ech hunn eisen Noper zoufälleg am Kino getraff. – I bumped into our neighbour at the cinema.

natierlech – of course

Beispiller (examples): 

• Ech ginn natierlech mat dir bei den Dokter. – Of course, I’ll come with you to the docter.
• Natierlech kann ech der hëllefen. – Of course I can help you.

ausserdeem – besides, in addition

Beispiller (examples): 

• Ech hunn elo keng Zäit fir dir ze hëllefen an ausserdeem sinn ech midd. – I don’t have time now and in addition I am tired.
• Ausserdeem ass dësen Hotel vill ze deier.- In addition this hotel is far too expensive.

eventuell – may be /  possibly

is another way to say vläicht 

Beispiller (examples): 

• Hues du eventuell Loscht den Owend an de Kino ze goen? – Would you possibly feel like going to the cinema tonight?
• Meng Eltere kommen eventuell muer op Besuch. – May be my parents will come to visit us tomorrow.

zemools – especially

is another way to say besonnesch 

Beispiller (examples): 

• D’Appartement gefält mir gutt, zemools d’Kichen.   – I like the appartment especially the kitchen.
• Mäi Mann kacht gär, zemools indesch Platen. – My husband likes to cook, above all indian dishes.

op eemol – suddenly

Beispiller (examples): 

• Op eemol hunn ech Angscht kritt. – Suddenly I got scared.
• Op eemol huet den Hond ugefaange mat billen. – Suddenly the dog began to bark.

stänneg – constantly

is another way to say dauernd 

Beispiller (examples): 

• Dem Noper säin Hond billt stänneg. – The neighour’s dog is constantly barking
• Stänneg ass hei vill Kaméidi. – There’s constantly much noise here.

fräiwëlleg – voluntarily

Beispiller (examples): 

• Ech verzichte fräiwëlleg op mäin Dessert – I’ll voluntarily do without my dessert.
• Wie geet fräiwëlleg mat mir zu Fouss an de Restaurant?- Who accompanies me voluntarily to the restaurant by walking?

an engems – at the same time / as well as

Beispiller (examples): 

• Kaf an engems eng Baguette fir muer de Moien. – Buy at the same time a baguette for tomorrow morning.
• Mäi Student léiert Lëtzebuergesch an an engems Däitsch. – My student studies Luxembourgish as well as German.

mateneen – together, at a time

synonymes are zesummen, gläichzäiteg

Beispiller (examples): 

• Si schwätzen net méi mateneen. – They don’t speak any more together.
• D’Kanner sinn all mateneen an de Bus geklomm. – The children got all at the same time onto the bus.

fir d’éischt – first (first of all)

Beispiller (examples): 

• Ech wëll hinne fir d’éischt Moie soen. – I want to greet them first.
• Fir d’éischt musse mer bei de Bäcker goen. – First of all we’ll have to go to the baker.

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Exercise / Übung: 

Translate the following sentences into Luxembourgish:

• They all laughed at the same time.
• Do you have to ask me something constantly?
• May be my parents will by pop in tomorrow.

Check the solution by downloading the PDF and practice  with MORE sentences to translate !

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I hope you liked it and found it useful. And …. why not sharing this lesson with your friends:-)

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