Adverbs, Postpositions, Temporal/Spatial Expressions
Adverbs of time
сон yesterday
сонго just yesterday
жакъа today
метер tomorrow
церекъад the day before yesterday
сезе, сезеса the day after tomorrow
сонкъасде last night (сонкъаси)
нолъ last night
ригь-ригьалда all the time, all day (morning noon and night)
ригь-ригьккун at the same time (every day)
маркIачIуда (-де, -даса) at dusk (by dusk, after dusk)
бакъаниде at sunset (sun=бакъ)
сордойил every evening/every night
сон бакъанида last night
сон радал yesterday morning
радакь(го) at dawn/in the early morning
къад during the day (къо)
релъеда in the evening/at night
релъеда-къад day and night
жакъа релъеда tonight
сардилъ at night (сордо)
сонилъида the night of the day before yesterday
ихдал in spring (их)
риидал in summer (рии)
хаслихъе (хасалихъе) in the fall (хасалихълъи)
хасел in the winter (хасало)
гьабсагIат right now
гьанже now
кида? when?
кидаса? since when?
кидаго always (in positive sentences), never (with negatives)
Adverbs of place
Avar has a large array of adverbs indicating spatial relations.
Like nouns and adjectives, they also take case endings (and in the case of those ending in -б, change according to noun class):
| Meaning | Locative ("at") | Allative ("to") | Ablative ("from") |
|---|---|---|---|
| here (гьаб "this") | гьаниб "here" | гьанибе "hither/to here" | гьаниса "hence/from here" |
| here (гьеб "this/that") | гьениб "here" | гьенибе "hither/to here" | гьениса "hence/from here" |
| there (доб "that") | доба "there" | добе "thither/to there" | доса "thence/from there" |
| there (гъоб "that") | гъоба "there" | гъобе "thither/to there" | гъоса "thence/from there" |
| where? | киб "where?" | кибе "whither/to where?" | киса "whence/from where?" |
| "everywhere/nowhere (with negatives) | кибго "everywhere/nowhere" | кибего "to everywhere/nowhere" | кисаго "from everywhere/nowhere" |
| inside | жаниб | жанибе | жаниса |
| outside (къватI "street") | къватIиб | къватIибе | къватIиса |
| at home (рукъ "house/home") | рокъоб | рокъобе | рокъоса |
| inside (living thing womb mind soul) | ургьиб | ургьибе | ургьиса |
| near | аскIоб | аскIобе | аскIоса |
| before/in front of | цебе | цебе | цебеса |
| close to | гIагар | гIагарде | гIагардаса |
| far from | рикIкIад | рикIкIаде | рикIкIадаса |
| above/on top of | тIад | тIаде | тIаса |
| after/behind | нахъ(а) | нахъе | нахъаса |
| among | гъорлъ | гъорлъе | гъорлъа |
| under/below | гъоркь | гъоркье | гъоркьа |
| around | сверухъ | сверухъе | сверухъа |
| behind/after | хадуб | хадубе | хадуса |
They can be used not only as adverbs but also as a kind of adjective, modifying (and agreeing with) a following noun:
дида цеве чи гьечIо "there's nobody before me" ("at-me before-man isn't")
хадув чи гьечIо "there is nobody behind" ("behind man isn't")
Besides their spatial meanings many are also used in time expressions:
When added to verbs, these can take the form of verbal prefixes:
тIадбазе "to cover" ("put on top")
тIасалъугьине "to forgive" ("exit from above")
цебетIезе "to develop" ("pour forward")
нахъчIвазе "to refuse" ("put behind")
Postpositions
Most of the above also function as postpositions, in which case they are usually preceded by nouns in the Series I locative case (-да):
дида цадахъ (together) with me
школалда цебе in front of the school
рукъалда нахъа behind the house
Though others take different cases:
хадуб behind/after
мун хадув вачIа "you come after"
къалъудаса хадуб ..after noon
-(лъе)хун "in the direction of":
росулъехун "towards the village"
gen. + хIакъалъулъ/рахъалъ "about"
дица бицана инсул хIакъалъулъ "i talked about father"
дун досда гIалил рахъалъ кIалъана "i spoke with him about Ali"
dat. + гIоло/гIололъун "for, for the sake of":
лъималазе гIоло "for the children"
гьеб мурадалъе гIололъун "for this purpose"
-(да)лъун "because of":
дудалъун "because of you"
-да цадахъ "together with":
дида цадахъ "with me"
гIан "up to"
-гун "with" хIангун чед квана радал дица "i ate bread with
гIадин "like"
Варис гIадин цIаларавани, мунги букIинаан мугIалим "if you had studied like Varis, you too would have become a teacher"