Wennschon, dennschon! (4)
A Closer Look at schon
in German and English
German Vocabulary
SCHON > Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3 > Part 4
SCHON 9 (rhetorische Fragen - right?)
When schon is used in a rhetorical question with an interrogative (wer, was), it implies a negative answer or doubt that the answer is true.
Wer wird mir schon helfen?
Nobody's going to help me, right?
Was sind schon 10 Euro heute? Nichts!
What's 10 euro these days? Nothing!
Aber wer fragt schon danach?
But nobody really wants to know, right?
SCHON 10 (als Füllwort - as a filler)
In some German idiomatic expressions, schon is just a filler that sounds good and is usually not translated into English.
Schon gut!
Okay! All right!
Wir werden schon sehen.
We'll see (about that).
Ich verstehe schon.
I understand./I get it.
Danke, es geht schon.
Thanks, I'll/we'll manage okay.
SCHON 11 (fast gleichzeitig - in a flash/there and then)
Used in some idiomatic phrases, schon has the meaning of "immediately" or "right away."
...und schon war er weg!
...and he was gone in a flash!
Kaum bin ich angekommen, schon ging der Krach los.
I had scarcely arrived, when all hell broke loose.
SCHON 12 (bedingt - if-phrases)
Used in a wenn-phrase, schon has a conditional, idiomatic meaning, usually implying "if so, then do it right" or "then go ahead."
Wenn du das schon machen willst, dann mache es weingstens richtig!
If you want to do that, then at least do it right!
Wenn du schon rauchen musst...
If you really must smoke... (then go ahead)
Wennschon, dennschon!
You might as well go whole hog!/In for a penny, in for a pound!
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