Time expressions and frequency adverbs are essential for everyday conversation. Frequency is described with oft (often), manchmal (sometimes), immer (always), nie (never), normalerweise (usually), and selten (rarely). You might say "Ich gehe oft ins Kino" (I often go to the cinema), "Manchmal koche ich selbst" (Sometimes I cook myself), "Er kommt immer zu spät" (He is always late), "Ich trinke nie Kaffee am Abend" (I never drink coffee in the evening), "Normalerweise stehe ich früh auf" (Usually I get up early), or "Wir sehen uns leider selten" (Unfortunately we rarely see each other).
Other useful adverbs include schon (already), noch nicht (not yet), bald (soon), and vor kurzem (recently), as in "Bist du schon fertig?" (Are you already done?), "Ich bin noch nicht fertig" (I'm not finished yet), "Wir sehen uns bald" (We'll see each other soon), and "Ich habe ihn vor kurzem getroffen" (I met him recently). Referring to specific times uses expressions like früh (early), spät (late), übermorgen (the day after tomorrow), vorgestern (the day before yesterday), and im Moment (at the moment). For example, "Am Montag muss ich früh aufstehen" (On Monday I have to get up early), "Es ist schon spät" (It's already late), "Übermorgen fahren wir weg" (We're leaving the day after tomorrow), "Vorgestern hat es geschneit" (It snowed the day before yesterday), or "Im Moment habe ich keine Zeit" (At the moment I have no time).
Vocabulary for opinions and discussion includes the nouns die Meinung (opinion), die Frage (question), die Antwort (answer), das Problem (problem), die Idee (idea), and das Beispiel (example). Useful phrases include "Meiner Meinung nach ist das falsch" (In my opinion that's wrong), "Ich habe eine Frage" (I have a question), "Danke für deine Antwort" (Thanks for your answer), "Das ist eine gute Idee" (That's a good idea), and "Kein Problem!" (No problem!). Common opinion expressions include ich denke, dass (I think that), ich glaube (I believe), vielleicht (maybe), natürlich (of course), ich bin einverstanden (I agree), and das stimmt (that's right), as in "Ich denke, dass er recht hat" (I think that he is right), "Ich glaube, es regnet gleich" (I believe it's about to rain), "Natürlich helfe ich dir" (Of course I'll help you), and "Ja, ich bin einverstanden" (Yes, I agree).
The verbs of communication include erklären (to explain), fragen (to ask), antworten (to answer), and besprechen (to discuss). Sentences like "Kannst du mir das erklären?" (Can you explain that to me?), "Darf ich dich etwas fragen?" (May I ask you something?), "Bitte antworte mir bald" (Please answer me soon), and "Wir besprechen das morgen" (We'll discuss that tomorrow) are useful in almost any situation. The phrase "Zum Beispiel" introduces an example, as in "Zum Beispiel Äpfel und Birnen" (For example apples and pears).