Learn what the word schon means
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| Michael: What does the word, schon, mean? |
| Anja: How do German speakers use it? |
| Michael: At GermanPod101.com, we hear these questions often. |
| The following situation is typical. Ben Lee, a college student, has apologized to his friend, Hanna Hanselmann, for something minor. In response, she says, |
| "It's okay." |
| Hanna Hanselmann: Es ist schon ok. |
| Ben Lee: Es tut mir leid. |
| Hanna Hanselmann: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Ben Lee: Es tut mir leid. |
| Michael: I'm sorry. |
| Hanna Hanselmann: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: It's okay. |
| Let's take a closer look at her response. |
| Do you remember how Hanna Hanselmann says, |
| "It's okay." |
| [Pause 5 seconds] |
| Hanna Hanselmann: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: This literally means "It's already okay." But it translates as "It's okay." |
| Anja: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: The word, |
| Anja: schon, |
| Michael: means "already" or "yet" and plays an important role in this sentence. It has the effect of making the sentence friendlier, softer, or adding emphasis. |
| When Hanna says, |
| Anja: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: Think of it like she's saying, "It's already okay." Or, "It became okay immediately, even before I had a chance to respond." Or, "It's okay, it has already been forgiven and forgotten." Or, "It was okay even before you apologized." |
| Of course, |
| Anja: schon |
| Michael: can also just mean something like "yet" or "already." For example, |
| Anja: Es ist schon spät |
| Michael: means "It's already late." |
| Here are a few more examples of the word being used to soften, add emphasis, or to make the statement more colorful. |
| Let's look at some examples of people using it in this way. |
| Anja AS YANNEK YOUNG |
| Schon gut. |
| Michael: "Already good." When used in an informal context, this can also translate as "It's okay," "All good," or "Apology accepted." If said in a more curt way, |
| Anja AS MARIA MAYER |
| Schon gut |
| Michael: can have the feeling of "Okay, let's not talk about it anymore and move on." The next example is |
| Anja: Schon besser. |
| "Already better." You may hear this, for example, if you receive feedback on something like a project or a report, make changes, and then present the revised version to your teacher or boss. |
| Again, this can come across in different ways depending on how it's said. If said in a slow, curt way, with the emphasis on the |
| Anja: schon, |
| Michael: it can come across as "Better, but not good enough." But said in a friendly way, it can come across as uplifting and positive. In this case, it can translate as "This is already much better." |
| If you want to step up your German game a little, try the idiom |
| Anja: Die Sache ist schon gegessen. |
| Michael: This literally means "The thing has already been eaten." It's an idiom that actually means a negative incident has already been forgotten. Try using it the next time one of your German friends apologizes for something! |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the German speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Hanna Hanselmann says, |
| "It's okay." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anja: Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: Listen to the native speaker and repeat. |
| Anja: Es ist schon ok. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Es ist schon ok. |
| Michael: And how to say |
| "Already good." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anja: Schon gut. |
| Michael: Listen to the native speaker and repeat. |
| Anja: Schon gut. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Schon gut. |
| Michael: And how to say |
| "Already better." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Anja: Schon besser. |
| Michael: Listen to the native speaker and repeat. |
| Anja: Schon besser. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Schon besser. |
| Michael: Now, here's one last insider hint. Be careful not to confuse |
| Anja: schon |
| Michael: with |
| Anja: schön |
| Michael: with an umlaut over the "o." This means, "beautiful!" |
| Michael: Great job. Now you know how to use the German word, shon. That's all there is to it! |
| Be sure to download the lesson notes for this lesson at GermanPod101.com — and move onto the next lesson! |
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