Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Witzige/Wichtige Worte on Wednesday XII: Sonst

sonst: "else", "otherwise", "or else"

Here is another super versatile word. Like na, it can be paired with a variety of other words to change its meaning.

Und sonst so? - How's it going otherwise? (Good to use after a friend tells you about a bad experience they had recently - you should, of course, console them first.)
umsonst - free of charge, in vain (I got these cookies umsonst for volunteering at the blood drive! I drove all the way back home umsonst because my phone ended up being in my car the whole time!)
sonst wo - elsewhere
Sonst noch etwas? - Anything else? (Usually a question posed by wait staff.)
Was sonst noch? - What next? (Here, it takes a kind of exasperated tone.)
Wer denn sonst? - Who else? (Typically rhetorical: I mean, she gave birth to me! Are you talking about your mom? Wer denn sonst?)

I hope this helps you know how to use this highly recurring word!

Bis bald!

No comments:

Post a Comment