schon mal/noch nie

Ever / Never Yet

Level 2

schon mal = ever / at some point
noch nie = never yet / never before

How It Works

The phrases schon mal and noch nie are essential for discussing past experiences in everyday German.

1. schon mal (Ever / Before)
Technically a shortened version of schon einmal ('already once'), it is used in two ways:

  • In Questions: It functions like 'ever'. Warst du schon mal in Berlin? (Have you ever been to Berlin?)
  • In Statements: It means 'before' or 'at some point'. Ich habe das schon mal gehört. (I have heard that before.)

2. noch nie (Never yet)
This is the negative version. While nie means a flat 'never' (e.g., 'I never smoke'), noch nie implies 'never up to this point in time'.
Example: Ich habe noch nie Sushi gegessen. (I have never eaten sushi before.)

3. Word Order
These phrases usually sit in the Mittelfeld (middle field). This means they come after the conjugated verb and the subject, but before the final verb part (like a Partizip II). Regarding objects, they precede noun objects (Ich habe schon mal einen Film gesehen) but must follow pronoun objects (Ich habe ihn schon mal gesehen).

4. Register
In casual conversation, schon mal is the standard spoken form. In writing, schon einmal is the standard form used in journalism and literature. Avoid writing it as one word (schonmal), as it is always two words in standard orthography.

Examples (5)

  1. Warst du schon mal in Paris?

    Have you ever been to Paris?

    Word by Word: Were you already once in Paris?

    In this question, 'schon mal' acts as 'ever' to ask about a past experience.

  2. Ich habe diesen Mann schon mal gesehen.

    I have seen this man before.

    Word by Word: I have this man already once seen.

    Here, 'schon mal' indicates that the action happened at some unspecified point in the past.

  3. Er hat noch nie Pizza gegessen.

    He has never eaten pizza before.

    Word by Word: He has yet never pizza eaten.

    'Noch nie' emphasizes that he hasn't tried it up until now.

  4. Wir waren noch nie im Schwarzwald.

    We have never been to the Black Forest before.

    Word by Word: We were yet never in the Black Forest.

    This uses the simple past of 'sein' with 'noch nie' to describe a lack of experience.

  5. Hast du das schon mal gemacht?

    Have you ever done that?

    Word by Word: Have you that already once done?

    A common way to ask if someone has experience with a specific task.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing 'schon mal' as a single word.

    Ich war schonmal dort.
    Ich war schon mal dort.

    Unlike 'nochmal', 'schon mal' must always be written as two separate words in standard German.

  • Using 'schon mal' in a negative sentence.

    Ich war nicht schon mal in Berlin.
    Ich war noch nie in Berlin.

    To say you haven't 'ever' done something, use 'noch nie' (or just 'nie'). Do not negate 'schon mal' with 'nicht'.

  • Confusing 'noch nie' with 'noch nicht'.

    Ich habe noch nicht Sushi gegessen.
    Ich habe noch nie Sushi gegessen.

    'Noch nicht' means 'not yet' (usually for something expected soon), while 'noch nie' means 'never in my life/before'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

schon mal/noch nieLevel 2Ever / Never Yet

Learn This First

To use 'schon mal' and 'noch nie' effectively, you need to understand the basic temporal adverbs 'schon' and 'noch', as well as the frequency adverb 'nie'. Since these phrases are frequently used to talk about past experiences, familiarity with the Present Perfect (Perfekt) tense is also highly recommended.

Words in This Pattern

schon malnie