However, they both are adverbs of manner and therefore, they will stand after the verb most of the time.Įven though both sentences almost look the same, they have a slightly different meaning. Since both, “noch” and “schon” are adverbs, they are supposed to stand before or after the verb in a regular German sentence. In contrast, adverbs sound the exact same as their according adjectives (words that describe how a noun is as groß, klein, schön etc.). In English, adverbs often have the prefix “-ly”. Adverbs describe in greater detail how these verbs are being performed.

Verbs are these words that describe an action as: spielen, schreiben, leben or machen (to play, to write, to live or to do). As the name itself already reveals, it has to do something with the verbs. To understand how to integrate “noch” and “schon” in a sentence structure, you first need to understand what is an adverb. “Ist es schon wieder so weit, zum Zahnarzt zu gehen?” – “Is it time to go to the dentist yet?”

“Bist du schon mit dem Lernen fertig?” – “Are you already finished learning?” Even though both words only differ in one letter, “schön” means beautiful and this is also very far away from what you would like to say. Consequently, it makes a huge difference when you do not use the right word and can completely change the message which you wish to communicate with your sentence.īesides, German students also tend to use “ schön” instead of “ schon“. In contrast to “noch” where something is still going on, “schon” means already or yet in English. “Da ist noch Essen im Topf.” – “There is more / still food in the pot” “Das Haus steht noch näher an der Straße.” – “The house is even closer to the street.” “Ich lebe noch in der gleichen Wohnung.” – “I am still living in the same flat.” – However, one can use “noch” for these three in German as follows. In my opinion, the translation with “still” causes the most significant issue here which you will soon understand when we will discuss “schon”. In German, the adverb “noch” has the meaning of still, even and more. German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl.A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl._ Recommended study materials on the topic: So let’s clarify first which equivalent “noch” and “schon” have in English. Both have a similar meaning, which is most likely why German students mix them up. The two words “noch” and “schon” belong to the adverbs word group, which I will explain a little further. Find out in this article how to use both words properly. In my classes as a private German online teacher, I often see students that encounter a significant problem using “noch” and “schon” properly.

Deutschland vor noch ein tor meaning