schon, noch or erst?
b1Three particles about time and expectation: schon = earlier than expected or already done, noch = still, erst = later than expected or no more than.
schon
Something has already happened - often sooner than one thought.
Bist du schon fertig?Are you finished already?
noch
A state is continuing; „noch nicht“ means not yet.
Er schläft noch.He's still asleep.
erst
Later than expected, or an amount smaller than one might think.
Ich bin erst um zehn gekommen.I didn't arrive until ten.
The mistake
Ich lerne schon zwei Wochen Deutsch. (gemeint: kurz)
Ich lerne erst zwei Wochen Deutsch.
„schon zwei Wochen“ says that's a lot; „erst zwei Wochen“ says that's not much.
Rule of thumb
schon and erst are counterparts: the same number, the opposite judgement.
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