Korean Adverb Position in a Sentence: Meaning, Rules and Examples

What you'll learn

• Place manner, degree, frequency, time and sentence adverbs in the right spot.
• Explain why Korean puts the adverb before the verb and not after it.
• Tell degree adverbs such as 아주 apart from frequency adverbs such as 자주.
• Spot and fix the most common mistakes, such as 말해 주세요 천천히.

Prerequisites: the lesson on the Korean SOV sentence pattern and a few basic adverbs. Time: about 15 minutes.

Key facts

• An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
• Korean puts the verb last, so adverbs stand in the middle of the sentence.
• Manner adverbs such as 천천히 and degree adverbs such as 아주 sit right before the word they describe.
• Time adverbs such as 어제 usually come near the start.
• An adverb does not sit between a noun and its particle.

Listen to the two model sentences for this lesson.

The next section defines the idea and shows what it means.

What Does the Korean Adverb Position in a Sentence Mean?

The position of a Korean adverb means the slot it takes in the word order of the sentence. Korean is a verb-final language: the verb or adjective comes last, and everything else is placed before it. An adverb belongs to that "everything else", so it stands before the predicate it describes. The predicate is the verb or adjective that ends the sentence.

English works differently. English usually puts a manner adverb after the verb ("speak slowly"), although some adverbs can come before it ("he slowly stood up"). Korean has one dominant order, and it is the mirror of English: adverb first, verb second. The result is 천천히 말해요, word by word "slowly speak".

A First Example

Here are two sentences. One is a request, and one is a statement with an object.

In both sentences the adverb stands right before the predicate. In the second sentence it comes after the object, 한국어를, so the order is subject, object, adverb, verb. The next section turns this into a rule.

How Does Korean Adverb Position in a Sentence Work?

The rule has two parts: put the adverb directly before the word it describes, and keep the predicate at the end. Everything else follows from these two parts.

1. Find the word the adverb describes. It may be a verb (말해요), an adjective (추워요) or another adverb (빨리).
2. Place the adverb directly before that word. Nothing but another adverb may stand between them.
3. Keep the subject, object and particles in front of the adverb. The particle stays with its noun.

Pattern Table

The spoken forms are [오느른 아주 추워요], [저는 어제 친구를 만나써요] and [아마 민수는 지베 이쓸꺼예요]. The table gives the usual position, not the only one. Frequency and time words are flexible, and the next section shows how.

Position of Frequency and Time Adverbs

Frequency adverbs and time adverbs can move left or right, as long as they stay before the predicate. 저는 자주 커피를 마셔요 and 저는 커피를 자주 마셔요 are both natural and both mean "I often drink coffee". The first order is the neutral one. The second puts a little more weight on 자주, because the adverb is closer to the verb.

Time words move even more freely. 어제 저는 친구를 만났어요 and 저는 어제 친구를 만났어요 are both normal. When a sentence also has a place, the usual order is time first, then place, then the rest, as taught in Korean word order time place.

The next section builds one sentence from scratch.

Worked Example: Building 천천히 말해 주세요

To ask someone to speak slowly, start from the verb and add the adverb in four steps.

1. Start with the verb pair. 말해 주세요 means "please speak (for me)". The verb is 말하다, "to speak".
2. Choose the adverb. The idea is "slowly", which is 천천히.
3. Find the word it describes. The adverb describes the speaking, so it belongs in front of 말해.
4. Insert the adverb directly before the verb. 천천히 말해 주세요.

You'll know it worked when the adverb is the first word and the verb pair is the last. If you want to add an object, it goes before the adverb: 한국어로 천천히 말해 주세요 ("Please speak slowly in Korean"). The particle 로 marks the language, and the adverb stays next to the verb.

The same steps work with degree adverbs. The idea "very cold" has the adjective 추워요, so the adverb 아주 goes directly before it: 아주 추워요. A stack of two adverbs follows the same logic. In 아주 빨리 걸어요 ("I walk very fast"), 아주 describes 빨리, and 빨리 describes 걸어요, so each adverb stands before the word it describes.

The next section compares the two types that learners confuse most.

How Is Adverb Position Different from Similar Forms?

The two most confused types are degree adverbs and frequency adverbs. Both stand before the predicate, but they describe different things. A degree adverb says how much, and a frequency adverb says how often.

You can test the difference by swapping them. 아주 가요 is not natural, because the verb 가다 ("go") has no degree to measure. 자주 추워요 can only mean that it is cold often, so it changes the meaning. When both appear in one sentence, the degree adverb comes first and describes the frequency adverb: 아주 자주 가요 ("I go very often"). The full lessons are Korean adverbs of degree 아주 너무 정말 and Korean adverbs of frequency 항상 자주 가끔.

Adverbs formed from adjectives follow the same rule. The adverb 예쁘게 in 예쁘게 웃어요 ("She smiles prettily") stands before the verb. How these adverbs are made is taught in adverb -게 in korean.

The next section covers the cases where the position changes.

Exceptions and Edge Cases

Korean adverbs move less than English ones, but they are not frozen. Four cases are worth knowing.

1. Sentence adverbs go first. Words that comment on the whole sentence, such as 아마 ("perhaps"), 다행히 ("fortunately") and 제발 ("please", with feeling), stand at the start: 아마 민수는 집에 있을 거예요 ("Minsu is probably at home"). They describe the speaker's attitude, not one verb.

2. Neutral order versus emphasis order. With a manner adverb and an object, both orders are natural. 저는 한국어를 열심히 공부해요 is the neutral version. 저는 열심히 한국어를 공부해요 is also fine and puts a little more weight on the effort. Flexible ordering of this kind is explained in Korean flexible word order.

3. Adverbs with 는 for contrast. An adverb can take the particle 는 to show contrast. 자주는 안 가요 means "I do not go often (but I go sometimes)". Without the particle, the sentence is just 자주 안 가요. This is a refined point, and beginners can skip it.

4. Adverbs after the verb in speech. In casual speech, people sometimes add a word after the verb as an afterthought: 가요, 빨리. The pause and the falling pitch show that it was added later. Do not copy this in writing or in a test. It is a feature of spoken Korean, not the standard order.

What this lesson does not cover. Where question words such as 뭐 and 어디 go is taught in Korean question word position. How adverbs are made is taught in the adverb lessons. The relative order of time and place is taught in the time-place lesson linked above.

An honest limit. Position rules for adverbs describe tendencies, and native speakers vary. When two orders sound equally natural to you, the difference is usually one of emphasis, not of correctness.

The next section lists the errors that appear most often.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Adverb Position?

Learners make five predictable mistakes. Each has a reason and a fix.

Learners often assume the adverb can follow the verb, as in English. Actually the verb must come last. Wrong: 말해 주세요 천천히. Right: 천천히 말해 주세요. Fix: finish the sentence with the verb or adjective.

Learners often assume the adverb can sit between a noun and its particle. Actually the particle sticks to its noun. Wrong: 한국어 열심히를 공부해요. Right: 한국어를 열심히 공부해요. Fix: attach the particle first, then place the adverb.

Learners often assume a degree adverb can be far from its adjective. Actually it must stand directly before the word it describes. Wrong, or at least less natural: 저는 아주 한국어를 좋아해요. Better: 저는 한국어를 아주 좋아해요. Fix: put 아주 right before 좋아해요.

Learners often assume an adjective can replace an adverb. Actually an adjective cannot describe a verb. Wrong: 빠른 먹어요. Right: 빨리 먹어요 or 빠르게 먹어요. Fix: use the adverb form, as taught in the adverb lessons.

Learners often assume English word order is the default. Actually the Korean default is the mirror of English. Fix: build the sentence from the end, with the predicate first in your mind, then add the adverb before it.

Practice puts these rules into your own sentences, as the next section shows.

Practice and Answers

Complete the four tasks, then compare your answers with the key.

Task 1: put the words in order.

1. 해요 / 한국어를 / 열심히 / 저는
2. 주세요 / 말해 / 천천히
3. 추워요 / 아주 / 오늘은
4. 영화를 / 가끔 / 봐요 / 저는

Task 2: fix the error. Each sentence has one mistake. Rewrite it correctly.

1. 먹어요 빨리.
2. 한국어 열심히를 공부해요.
3. 빠른 걸어요. (The meaning is "I walk fast".)

Task 3: translate. Write in Korean: "I often drink coffee." and "Please eat slowly."

Task 4: write your own. Write one sentence with a manner adverb and one sentence with a frequency adverb about your week.

Answer key

1. (1) 저는 한국어를 열심히 해요. (2) 천천히 말해 주세요. (3) 오늘은 아주 추워요. (4) 저는 가끔 영화를 봐요.
2. (1) 빨리 먹어요. (2) 한국어를 열심히 공부해요. (3) 빨리 걸어요.
3. 저는 커피를 자주 마셔요. 천천히 드세요. (To a friend: 천천히 먹어.)
4. Sample answers: 저는 열심히 일해요. ("I work hard.") 저는 주말에 가끔 요리해요. ("I sometimes cook at the weekend.") Any adverb is correct if it stands directly before the verb.

If task 1 was correct, you have the rule. If task 2 was hard, return to the pattern table and check where the verb sits. The next section points you to what comes after this lesson.

What Should You Learn after Korean Adverb Position in a Sentence?

After Korean adverb position in a sentence, learn how adverbs are made. The lesson on adverb -게 in korean shows how to turn an adjective such as 예쁘다 into 예쁘게. Then study the two most common word groups: Korean adverbs of degree 아주 너무 정말 and Korean adverbs of frequency 항상 자주 가끔.

For a wider view, the parent page Korean word order lists every lesson in the set, from the basic order to question words. A related lesson is Korean word order time place.

This lesson covers the position of adverbs in plain statements and requests. It does not cover adverbs inside long clauses or the full range of emphasis. About this page. Last updated 2026-10-09. The Korean text and spoken forms on this page were machine-generated and reviewed and signed off by Min-ji Park on 15 October 2026. Romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean and is shown only as a learning aid.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does adverb position mean in Korean? Adverb position is the place where an adverb stands in a Korean sentence. The normal place is directly before the verb or adjective it describes, as in 천천히 말해요 ("I speak slowly"). Korean puts the verb last, so adverbs sit in the middle of the sentence, after the subject and object.

How do I place an adverb in a Korean sentence? Put the adverb directly before the word it describes. For a verb, write the subject and object first, then the adverb, then the verb, as in 저는 한국어를 열심히 공부해요. For an adjective, put the degree adverb right before it, as in 아주 추워요. Time words can move to the front.

What is the most common mistake with adverb position? The most common mistake is copying English and putting the adverb after the verb, as in 말해 주세요 천천히. The natural order is 천천히 말해 주세요. A second mistake is placing the adverb between a noun and its particle. A third is moving a degree adverb away from the adjective it describes.

How is adverb position different for degree and frequency adverbs? Degree adverbs such as 아주 and 조금 modify an adjective, a verb or another adverb, so they stand right before it. Frequency adverbs such as 자주 and 가끔 describe how often the whole action happens, so they can sit either before or after the object. Both types stay before the predicate.

Do I use the same adverb position in speech and writing? Mostly yes. Both use the order subject, object, adverb, verb. Spoken Korean sometimes adds an adverb after the verb as an afterthought, as in 가요, 빨리. Writing and careful speech avoid this. Writing also tends to put sentence adverbs such as 아마 or 다행히 at the start of the sentence.