Adverb¶

Summary¶

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, or sometimes describes a sentence as a whole.

Adverbs are used to express relationships of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, or degree. Generally adverbs answer the question

How?
When?
Where?
How much?
Why? , or
To what extent?

Article¶

In Koiné Greek, adverbs can be formed from any number of different kinds of words and word endings. However, they do not decline like nouns or adjectives. Any one particular adverb usually has only one single form.

The most common way to form an adverb is to take an genitive plural adjective in the positive degree and replace the nu ending “ν” with a sigma “ς”. For example: καλὸς (good or beautiful) -> καλῶν (genitive plural) -> καλῶς (well).

How ever there are many ways of forming an adverb:

Adverbs can be formed from the acusative case (e.g.) πέραν -beyond; δωρέαν - freely: χάριν - for the sake of
Others from the genitive (e.g.) ὀμοῦ - together; ὅπου - where (designating a location); or ποῦ - where?
Dative (e.g.) ἐλεῖ - there πρωἰ - early ἕξω - without ἄμα - together
Adverbs can be formed by adding suffixes that give additional meaning

-ι,-σι,-ου relates to a place such as: ὅπου - where, ἐκεῖ -τηερε

-θεν relates to a place from such as: ἅνωθεν - from above

-δε,-σε relates to a direction such as: ἐκεῖσε - to that place, over there

-τε relates to time, such as: ὅτε -when, τότε - then

-ως relates to a manner, such as: ταχέως - quickly

-ις, -κις relates to a number, such as: δίς - twice, τρίς - three times

Adverbs describe a verb, adjective, or other adverb¶

There are several different ways that an adverb can describe a verb.

1) Locative - Adverbs may describes a place or location¶

A locative adverb describes something about the place or location where the action of the verb occurs.

Example AD-1 Locative adverb¶

Matthew 8:29¶
ἦλθες	ὧδε	πρὸ	καιροῦ	βασανίσαι	ἡμᾶς
ēlthes	hōde	pro	kairou	basanisai	hēmas
have you come	here	before	time	to torment	us

Have you come here to torment us before the set time?

Example AD-2 Locative adverb¶

Matthew 2:15¶
καὶ	ἦν	ἐκεῖ	ἕως	τῆς	τελευτῆς	Ἡρῴδου
kai	ēn	ekei	heōs	tēs	teleutēs	Hērōdou
and	he was	there	until	the	death	of Herod

and he was there until the death of Herod

Example AD-3 Locative adverb¶

Mark 15:38¶
καὶ	τὸ	καταπέτασμα	τοῦ	ναοῦ	ἐσχίσθη	εἰς	δύο	ἀπ’	ἄνωθεν	ἕως	κάτω
kai	to	katapetasma	tou	naou	eschisthē	eis	dyo	ap’	anōthen	heōs	katō
and	the	curtain	of the	temple	was torn	in	two	from	top	to	bottom

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom

2) Temporal - Adverbs¶

A temporal adverb describes something about the time when the action of the verb occurs.

Example AD-4 Temporal adverb¶

Mark 10:30¶
ἐὰν	μὴ	λάβῃ	ἑκατονταπλασίονα	νῦν	ἐν	τῷ	καιρῷ	τούτῳ
ean	mē	labē	hekatontaplasiona	nyn	en	tō	kairō	toutō
if	not	he will receive	a hundred times as much	now	in	the	time	this

[who] will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time

Example AD-5 Temporal adverb¶

Matthew 4:17¶
Ἀπὸ	τότε	ἤρξατο	ὁ	Ἰησοῦς	κηρύσσειν	καὶ	λέγειν
apo	tote	ērxato	ho	Iēsous	kēryssein	kai	legein
from	then	he began	the	Jesus	to preach	and	to say

from that time Jesus began to preach and to say

Example AD-6 Temporal adverb¶

Temporal Mathew 17:12¶
λέγω	δὲ	ὑμῖν	ὅτι	Ἠλείας	ἤδη	ἦλθεν
legō	de	hymin	hoti	Ēleias	ēdē	ēlthen
I say	but	to you	that	Elijah	already	he has come

But I say to you that Elijah already came

3) Quantative Adverbs¶

A quantitative adverb describes an amount of something in relation to the action of the verb.

Example AD-7 Quantative Adverb¶

Matthew 2:10¶
ἰδόντες	δὲ	τὸν	ἀστέρα	ἐχάρησαν	χαρὰν	μεγάλην	σφόδρα.
idontes	de	ton	astera	echarēsan	charan	megalēn	sphodra.
seeing	but	the	star	they rejoiced	joy	great	exceedingly.

And having seen the star, they rejoiced with very great joy.

[NOTE:] In this example, “μεγάλην” (great) is an adjective describing χαρὰν (joy). σφόδρα (exceedingly) is a quantative adverb modifying μεγάλην. It describes an exceedingly great joy.

Example AD-8 Quantative Adverb¶

Maττ 7:11¶
πόσῳ	μᾶλλον	ὁ	Πατὴρ	ὑμῶν	ὁ	ἐν	τοῖς	οὐρανοῖς	δώσει	ἀγαθὰ	τοῖς	αἰτοῦσιν	αὐτόν
posō	mallon	ho	Patēr	hymōn	ho	en	tois	ouranois	dōsei	agatha	tois	aitousin	auton
How much	more	the	Father	your	who	in	the	heavens	will give	good things	to those	who ask	him

how much more will your Father in the heavens give good things to the ones asking him

4) Adverb of Manner¶

An adverb of manner describes something about how the action of the verb happens.

Example AD-9 Adverb of Manner¶

John 20:4¶
καὶ	ὁ	ἄλλος	μαθητὴς	προέδραμεν	τάχιον	τοῦ	Πέτρου
kai	ho	allos	mathētēs	proedramen	tacheion	tou	Petrou
and	the	other	disciple	ran ahead	faster	than	Peter

and the other disciple quickly ran ahead of Peter

Example AD-10 Adverb of Manner¶

Matthew 15:7¶
ὑποκριταί	καλῶς	ἐπροφήτευσεν	περὶ	ὑμῶν	Ἠσαΐας
hypokritai	kalōs	eprophēteusen	peri	hymōn	Ēsaias
hypocrits	rightly	he prophesied	about	you all	Elijah

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you

Example AD-11 Adverb of Manner¶

Luke 2:13¶
καὶ	ἐξαίφνης	ἐγένετο	σὺν	τῷ	ἀγγέλῳ	πλῆθος	στρατιᾶς	οὐρανίου
kai	exaiphnēs	egeneto	syn	tō	angelō	plēthos	stratias	ouraniou
and	suddenly	there was	with	the	angel	multitude	army	of heavenly

And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly army was with the angel

5) Sentential Adverbs¶

A sentential adverb describes an entire clause or sentence rather than an individual verb. Sentential adverbs are closely related to Conjunctions.

Example AD-12 Sentential Adverb¶

Matthew 7:5¶
καὶ	τότε	διαβλέψεις	ἐκβαλεῖν	τὸ	κάρφος	ἐκ	τοῦ	ὀφθαλμοῦ	τοῦ	ἀδελφοῦ	σου
kai	tote	diablepseis	ekbalein	to	karphos	ek	tou	ophthalmou	tou	adelphou	sou
and	then	you will see clearly	to remove	the	small piece of wood	out	of	the	eye	of	brother	your

and then you will see clearly to take out the speck of wood from the eye of your brother

Example AD-13 Sentential adverb¶

Matthew 26:65¶
ἴδε	νῦν	ἠκούσατε	τὴν	βλασφημίαν
ide	nyn	ēkousate	tēn	blasphēmian
Behold	now	you all have heard	the	blasphame

Behold, now you have heard the blasphemy.