German course

Lesson 125 of 240

New here? This is lesson 125 of a free 240-lesson German course.

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What I did today in German

Afternoon at Bäckerei Krause. Renate looks Priya over and asks if she has eaten. Priya did breakfast and the market, but not lunch, and not the Späti.

Anton is at the corner table. His Milchkaffee is still full.

By the end, you'll say what you already did today, and what you have not done yet.

Schon means already. Noch nicht means not yet. Renate uses du; Priya is a regular now.

By the end of this lesson

Say what you did today and what you have not done yet.

  • Ich war heute auf dem Markt.I went to the market today.
  • Ich habe schon gefrühstückt.I've already had breakfast.
  • Ich habe noch nicht zu Mittag gegessen.I haven't had lunch yet.
  • Hast du schon gegessen?Have you eaten yet?
  • Ich habe schon gearbeitet.I've already done some work.
  • Ich war noch nicht im Späti.I haven't been to the corner shop yet.

Scene — the afternoon counter

It is afternoon on Fliederstraße. Priya comes in from the canal market with a bag. Renate is behind the counter.

Anton sits at the corner table on two chairs. His Milchkaffee is still full, as always.

Priya arrives with her market bag as Renate waits behind the counter and Anton sits beside his full Milchkaffee.

Learn — already and not yet

Six lines cover what you already did today and what you have not done yet.

You will use schon for already, and noch nicht for not yet.

  1. Priya steps into the bakery carrying the bag she brought back from the market.

    Ich war heute auf dem Markt.

    I went to the market today.

    When to use it: Say this when you went to the market earlier today.

    War is the past form of sein; here it says where you were.

  2. Anton sits beside his untouched full Milchkaffee and an empty breakfast plate.

    Ich habe schon gefrühstückt.

    I've already had breakfast.

    When to use it: Say this when breakfast is already done today.

    Schon means already, and the done-word sits at the end.

    Say it: Put your lips forward for the ü in gefrühstückt.

  3. Priya studies the savory rolls in the glass food case while resting one hand on the glass.

    Ich habe noch nicht zu Mittag gegessen.

    I haven't had lunch yet.

    When to use it: Say this when lunch has not happened yet today.

    Noch nicht means not yet; the done-word still sits last.

    Say it: The ch in nicht is the soft ich-sound, not ach.

  4. Renate leans toward Priya across the counter as they talk about whether she has eaten.

    Hast du schon gegessen?

    Have you eaten yet?

    When to use it: Ask a friend or regular if they have already eaten.

    Use du with friends, and with Renate once you are a regular.

  5. Priya sits by the bakery window and stretches her arms back, with her market bag on the floor nearby.

    Ich habe schon gearbeitet.

    I've already done some work.

    When to use it: Say this when you have already done some work today.

    Schon plus the done-word at the end marks work as done.

  6. Anton turns toward Priya with his full Milchkaffee still on the table as they discuss the corner shop.

    Ich war noch nicht im Späti.

    I haven't been to the corner shop yet.

    When to use it: Say this when you still have not gone to the Späti.

    War is for being somewhere; noch nicht means not yet.

    Say it: The ä in Späti is an open eh sound.

Story — have you eaten

Watch Priya's afternoon at the bakery. Renate checks whether she has eaten.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Afternoon light on the glass. Priya sets a market bag on the counter.
  2. RenateGuten Tag.Good afternoon.
  3. PriyaGuten Tag.Good afternoon.
  4. RenateWie läuft dein Tag bisher?How's your day going so far?
  5. PriyaIch war heute auf dem Markt.I went to the market today.
  6. Renate looks her over. The clock is well past noon.
  7. RenateHast du schon gegessen?Have you eaten yet?
  8. PriyaIch habe schon gefrühstückt.I've already had breakfast.
  9. RenateUnd zu Mittag?And lunch?
  10. PriyaIch habe noch nicht zu Mittag gegessen.I haven't had lunch yet.
  11. Anton looks at his full Milchkaffee. He does not drink.
  12. AntonUnd die Arbeit heute?And work today?
  13. PriyaIch habe schon gearbeitet.I've already done some work.
  14. AntonNa, warst du schon im Späti?Well, have you been to the corner shop yet?
  15. PriyaIch war noch nicht im Späti.I haven't been to the corner shop yet.
  16. RenateLass uns mal zusammen Mittag essen.Let us have lunch together sometime.

Practice — schon or noch nicht

Ten short exercises wait here. You'll listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay tiny, so the round moves fast.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    German

    Ich war heute auf dem Markt.Drop the English here
    Ich habe schon gefrühstückt.Drop the English here
    Ich war noch nicht im Späti.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its German, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    It is afternoon at the bakery. Greet Renate the daytime way.

  4. Fill the gap

    I haven't had lunch yet.

    Ich habe ____ zu Mittag gegessen.

  5. What does it mean?

    Ich war heute auf dem Markt.

  6. Swap the word

    Tell Renate you still have not been to the corner shop.

    Ich war ____ im Späti.

  7. Pick the reply

    Renate says:

    Hast du schon gefrühstückt?

    Have you had breakfast yet?

    And you reply with:

  8. What do you say?

    You want to ask a friend how the day is going so far.

  9. Build the line

    I've already done some work.

    .

    Tap the words in order.

  10. What do you say?

    A friend has not had lunch. Suggest eating lunch together.

Say it — tell her your day

Now you're Priya in the afternoon bakery. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. RenateWie läuft dein Tag bisher?How's your day going so far?
  2. Priya (you)Tell her you went to the market today.

    Ich war heute auf dem Markt.

    I went to the market today.

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

GermanEnglish
Ich war heute auf dem Markt.I went to the market today.
Ich habe schon gefrühstückt.I've already had breakfast.
Ich habe noch nicht zu Mittag gegessen.I haven't had lunch yet.
Hast du schon gegessen?Have you eaten yet?
Ich habe schon gearbeitet.I've already done some work.
Ich war noch nicht im Späti.I haven't been to the corner shop yet.
Next: lesson 126Have you ever

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep already and not yet handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps schon and noch nicht ready for the bakery.

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