Gothic/3/Adverbs

Introduction to Adverbs

An adverb is a word or an expression that modifies a verb. For example: The man hardly works. The adverb hardly modifies the verb work

In Gothic, most adverbs are formed from adjectives using the suffix -ba. Examples: mikils great; mikilaba greatly; raihts right; raihtaba rightly.

Another way Gothic created adverbs was through the suffix -o. Some examples:

Gothic	English
andaugjo	openly
analeiko	in the same manner
sinteino	continually
sprauto	quickly
sniumondo	quickly, with haste

Comparative Degree

The comparative degree of adverbs generally end in -is, -os. Examples:

Gothic	English
aris	earlier
faurþis	beforehand
framis	further
hauhis	higher
sniumondos	with more haste

Superlative

Only two adverbs of the superlative degree are attested:

Gothic	English
frumist	first of all
maist	most of all

Adverbs of Time

Adverbs of time are expressed either by simple adverbs such as:

Gothic	English
air	early
ƕan	when
ju	already
nu	now
þan	then

Or by oblique cases of nouns and pronouns such as:

Gothic	English
himma daga	today
gistradagis	tomorrow
du maurgina	tomorrow
dagis ƕizuh	day by day
ni aiw	never

Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place end in -r or -a. Some examples:

Gothic	English
aljar	elsewhere
her	here
ƕar	where
þar	there
faura	before

Adverbs of Motion

Adverbs of motion have either no suffix or end in -þ(d), -dre. Some examples:

Gothic	English
dalaþ	down
ƕaþ, ƕadre	whither
jaind, jaindre	thither
hidre	hither

Adverbs with the Genitive Case

The genitive case is something used adverbially as allis wholly; andwairþis over against; nahts at night; and raihtis indeed.