Little words in German are often more important to the overall meaning of a sentence than students assume. A case in point would be the word “noch”. Its meaning depends on whether it’s used on its own, or whether it’s used in combination with other words. Lean more below.
“noch” on its own (still or another - context will tell you!)
Bist du schon unterwegs? Nein, ich bin noch zu Hause.
(Are you still on your way/out and about? No, I'm still at home)
Bist du fertig? Nein, ich arbeite noch.
(Are you ready? No, I'm still working)
"noch" (another)
Möchtest du noch ein Bier?
(Would you like another beer?)
Nein, danke. Ich habe noch.
(No, thanks. I still have)
"immer noch" (still with emphasis, indicating that things haven't changed)
Hast du das immer noch nicht gemacht?
(You still haven't done it?)
Ich bin immer noch erkältet.
(I still got a cold)
“noch nicht“ (not yet)
Hast du deine Hausaufgaben schon gemacht? Nein, noch nicht.
(Have you already done your homework? No, not yet)
Ich habe noch nicht gegessen. Können wir zuerst etwas essen, bevor wir ausgehen?
(I still haven't eaten. Could we first eat something before we go out?)
“noch nie” (never- just emphasis on "nie")
Sie hat noch nie mexikanisches Essen probiert.
(She never tried mexican food)
Er war noch nie in Griechenland.
(He hasn't been to Greece)
“nochmal” (once again)
Ich möchte nochmal nach Mallorca fliegen.
(I'd like to go to Mallorca again)
Habt ihr den Film nochmal gesehen?
(Have you guys watched the movie again?)
was...noch? (what else?)
Was hast du noch gemacht?
(What else did you do?)
Was möchtest du noch trinken?
(What else would you like to drink?)
weder noch (neither...nor)
Du lernst weder Spanisch, noch Italienisch. Du lernst Deutsch.
(You neither learn Spanish nor Italian. You're learning German)
Sie kaufen weder Obst, noch Gemüse.
(They neither buy fruit nor vegetables)
Be careful with weder noch as it is one of several compound conjunctions in German that aren't easy to use.
Seid ihr noch verwirrt? Oder jetzt verwirrt? 😉
On our blog, you will find posts on many topics in German grammar- from adjective endings in German, the four German cases, the difference between aber and sondern in German, to German syntax. We also teach you helpful German words and phrases for your next trip to Germany, list the ten most useful German verbs to get your German off the ground, and we compare the most popular online dictionaries Linguee, dict.cc, dict.leo and Collins. So check out our blog and let us know what you think.
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