Adverbs (bijwoorden) modify verbs, adjectives, other adverbs, or even entire clauses. They provide more information about how, when, where, why, or to what extent something happens.

1. Formation of Adverbs

• From Adjectives: In many cases, the adverb has the same form as the basic (uninflected) adjective.
• Adjective: snel (fast) -> Adverb: snel (quickly/fast) - De auto is snel. (The car is fast.) vs. Hij rijdt snel. (He drives quickly.)
• Adjective: mooi (beautiful) -> Adverb: mooi (beautifully) - Het schilderij is mooi. (The painting is beautiful.) vs. Zij zingt mooi. (She sings beautifully.)
• Adverbs not derived from adjectives: Many common adverbs have their own form.
• Time: nu (now), gisteren (yesterday), morgen (tomorrow), vaak (often), nooit (never), altijd (always), soms (sometimes).
• Place: hier (here), daar (there), ergens (somewhere), nergens (nowhere), overal (everywhere).
• Manner: graag (gladly), anders (differently).
• Degree: heel (very), erg (very), zeer (very), een beetje (a little), nogal (rather), helemaal (completely).

2. Placement of Adverbs Adverb placement can be flexible but follows general patterns:

• Manner Adverbs (How?): Often come after the direct object or after the verb if there's no direct object.
• Hij rijdt de auto voorzichtig. (He drives the car carefully.)
• Zij spreekt langzaam. (She speaks slowly.)
• Time Adverbs (When?): Often placed early in the sentence (after the verb in main clauses) or sometimes at the very beginning for emphasis.
• Ik ga morgen naar de stad. (I am going to the city tomorrow.)
• Morgen ga ik naar de stad. (Tomorrow, I am going to the city.)
• Hij komt vaak te laat. (He often comes too late.)
• Place Adverbs (Where?): Usually placed after time adverbs if both are present.
• Ik ga morgen daarheen. (I am going tomorrow there.)
• General Order (Simple Sentence): Subject - Verb - Time - Manner - Place (This is a guideline, not a strict rule, often called the TMP or TeMPo rule).
• Hij heeft gisteren hard in de tuin gewerkt. (He worked hard in the garden yesterday.) (Subject - Verb - Time - Manner - Place - Other Verb Parts)
• Adverbs Modifying Adjectives/Other Adverbs: Placed directly before the word they modify.
• Het is een heel mooi huis. (It is a very beautiful house.)
• Hij praat erg snel. (He talks very quickly.)
• Sentence Adverbs (expressing attitude/certainty): Like misschien (perhaps), waarschijnlijk (probably), gelukkig (fortunately). Often placed after the finite verb in main clauses.
• Hij komt waarschijnlijk morgen. (He is probably coming tomorrow.)

Understanding the nuances of adverb placement improves with practice and exposure to the language.