German word

einst

Pronunciation

IPA/aɪ̯nst/

Meaning

  • adverbonce

Example

Sie war einst berühmt.

She was once famous.

Illustration for einst (once)

More examples

Man hoffte, dass einst Frieden kommen würde.

People hoped that someday peace would come.

Core concept

A single point set apart in time, either behind the present or ahead of it.

Similar words

früher: Earlier or formerly, referring to a previous period or repeated past practice.
damals: At that time in the past, referring to a specific moment or event.
einmal: Only once, referring to a single occurrence.
mal: Casually, once or at some unspecified time.

Definition in German

Zu einem früheren Zeitpunkt; einmal in früheren Zeiten.

Word origin

Einst goes back to Old High German einist, formed from ein 'one' with an adverbial ending; it is historically related to English once.

Usage tips

  • For 'once' meaning a single occasion, German normally uses 'einmal'; 'einst' mainly marks an elevated past or future time.

Other meanings

  • long agoadverb
  • somedayadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word