Noch vs. Schon — "Still" vs. "Already" in German
Quick Rule
Has it happened/changed? → schon (already). Hasn't happened/changed yet? → noch (still/not yet).
noch vs. schon — The Rules
noch
"Noch" means "still" (continuing) or "yet" (in negatives/questions). It implies something hasn't changed or hasn't happened yet. "Noch nicht" = not yet.
schon
"Schon" means "already" — something happened sooner than expected or is already the case. It implies surprise or emphasis that something is done/true.
Examples — Side by Side
Er schläft noch.
He's still sleeping.
Er ist schon wach.
He's already awake.
Hast du noch Hunger?
Are you still hungry?
Hast du schon gegessen?
Have you already eaten?
Der Film hat noch nicht angefangen.
The movie hasn't started yet.
Der Film hat schon angefangen.
The movie has already started.
Ich brauche noch fünf Minuten.
I still need five more minutes.
Ich bin schon fertig.
I'm already done.
Common Mistakes
Bist du noch fertig? (meaning: are you done yet?)
Bist du schon fertig?
"Are you ALREADY done?" uses "schon". "Noch" would mean "still" (still done? = doesn't make sense here).
Er hat schon nicht angefangen.
Er hat noch nicht angefangen.
"Not yet" = "noch nicht", not "schon nicht".
Ich habe noch das gemacht. (meaning: I already did that)
Ich habe das schon gemacht.
"Already did it" = "schon". "Noch" would mean "still" or "additionally".
Memory Trick
"noch" = not changed (still the same). "schon" = it's done/happened (already).
Quick Quiz
1. Es ist 23 Uhr und er arbeitet ___.
2. Du bist ___ hier? Ich dachte, du bist weg!
3. Hast du ___ die Hausaufgaben gemacht?
