adjective
suddenly
A2
Plötzlich — commonly 'suddenly' (adverb) and 'sudden' (adjective). It’s gradable (plötzlicher, am plötzlichsten) with antonym allmählich. No special prepositions or reflexivity. Used adverbially to modify verbs (e.g., Er kam plötzlich) or adjectivally to describe sudden events. Common in spoken and written German.
Examples
Plötzlich begann es zu regnen.
Suddenly it started to rain.
Der Zug hielt plötzlich, weil ein Hindernis auf den Gleisen lag.
The train stopped suddenly because an obstacle lay on the tracks.
Details
Mnemonics
imagine a bolt of lightning appearing out of the blue
sounds like English 'plot' (something that happens suddenly)
n/a
Notes
Used as an adverb or adjective (e.g., 'ein plötzlicher Regen' = a sudden rain).