adverbális

Adverbial (adverbális in Hungarian) is a grammatical function describing elements that modify the circumstances of an event or situation. An adverbial provides information such as time, place, manner, reason, purpose, or degree, and it can be realized as an adverb, an adverbial phrase, or an adverbial clause.

Adverbials come in several forms. An adverb is a single word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb (for example, “quickly,” “yesterday”). An adverbial phrase is a group of words that functions as an adverb (for example, “in the morning,” “with great care”). An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that provides circumstantial information (for example, “When she arrives” or “Because he was tired”).

In grammar, adverbials are distinguished from adverbs by their function. Adverbs are words that typically modify other words; adverbials are the roles those words or groups of words play within a sentence to express time, place, manner, cause, purpose, condition, and related meanings. The same content can often be realized in multiple forms, such as a simple adverb, a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial, or a subordinate clause.

Common types of adverbials include time (yesterday, at noon), place (here, near the park), manner (carefully, with enthusiasm), degree (completely, almost), reason (because of), purpose (in order to), and condition (if necessary). Word order for adverbials is flexible in many languages, with possible initial, medial, or final positions; adverbial clauses are typically set off by a comma.

See also: adverb, adverbial phrase, adverbial clause.