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schon mal

based on: schon

Meanings

1.
already, before
(focus is not on the repetition but on the fact that it's familiar)
2.
ever, at some point
(in questions, very similar to just "mal" but with a little more "excitement" or "impatience")
Opposite (closest): noch nie
3.
already
(with a casual tone, for statements)

Examples

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Word of the Day - "schon"

A thorough look a the meanings of "schon" and why it is more than "already". With plenty of examples... and audio.

Vocab:

schon, schon wieder, schon mal


How to use "mal" like a German

The second part of our look at the meaning of "mal". This time the focus is on all the idiomatic uses and expressions.


Word Family

Root: *keu

The core idea of this root was:

observing, watching, perceiving

It’s the origin of hören and to hear (which is acoustically perceiving, observing) and also of German schauen, which is about looking at.
The English brother of schauen, to show, shifted from mere seeing toward showing – first, showing what you’re seeing and then showing in the more general sense.

It’s also the origin of  German schön, which was originally “something you like to watch” and of the English caution which comes from Latin and was about watching in a sense of being on guard.

Some English relatives:

  • to show (showing what you see)
  • to hear (perceiving acoustically)
  • caution (observing danger)
  • sheen (similar to German schön)
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