English–German
“back then” in German
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈdaːmaːls/
Example
Ich war damals noch Student.
I was still a student back then.
How to say “back then” in German
“Back then” in German is damals.
A present viewpoint points back to a clearly bounded period in the past.
Example sentences with damals
Damals als Kind spielte ich oft draußen.
As a child back then, I often played outside.
Tips for using damals
- Damals points to a past time or period already established in context, while einmal can mean 'once' and does not have this backward reference.
Other German words for “back then”
Er hatte seinerzeit kein Geld.
He had no money back then.