Dutch adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or entire sentences. In English you often change the form (_quick / quickly_). In Dutch most of the time you don't, the adjective doubles as the adverb.
Same word, two jobs
| de auto is snel | the car is fast _(adjective, predicative)_
| hij rijdt snel | he drives fast _(adverb, modifying rijdt)_
| een aardige vrouw | a kind woman _(adjective with -e)_
| zij begroet me aardig | she greets me kindly _(adverb, bare form)_
Easy rule: when the word is describing a VERB, drop the -e you would add if it were describing a noun.
Intensifier adverbs
These little words colour everything around them. Drop them in for instant nuance.
| erg | very / quite | erg lief, very sweet
| heel | very | heel groot, very big
| zeer | very (formal) | zeer interessant, very interesting
| nogal | rather | nogal druk, rather busy
| tamelijk | fairly | tamelijk goed, fairly good
| behoorlijk | quite | behoorlijk duur, quite expensive
Note: _erg_ and _heel_ are the everyday favourites. _Zeer_ sounds formal, a little bookish.
Adverbs of place and time
These travel with the verb rather than the adjective and do NOT inflect.
| vandaag | today
| gisteren | yesterday
| morgen | tomorrow
| hier | here
| daar | there
| overal | everywhere
| nooit | never
| altijd | always
| soms | sometimes
_Ik eet hier altijd._, I always eat here.
_Hij komt morgen weer._, He will come again tomorrow.
Adverb or adjective, how to test
Ask yourself: what is this word describing?
- A noun → adjective (may take -e, follow the -e rule).
- A verb, another adjective, or the whole clause → adverb (bare form).
If you can swap the word for a clearly adverbial English word ("kindly", "fast", "nicely") without changing meaning, it is functioning as an adverb.