German word

gestern

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈgɛstɐn/

Meaning

  • adverbyesterday

Example

Wir haben gestern einen Film gesehen.

We watched a movie yesterday.

Illustration for gestern (yesterday)

More examples

Es hat gestern Abend stark geregnet.

It rained heavily yesterday evening.

Core concept

A calendar points to the single day immediately before today, where a finished event is placed.

Common phrases

  • gestern Abend

    yesterday evening

  • gestern Morgen

    yesterday morning

Similar words

heute: At some point today.
morgen: At some point on the day after today.
vorgestern: At some point two days before today.
vorhin: Not long ago.

Definition in German

gestern ist ein Adverb, das angibt, dass etwas am Tag vor dem Sprechen passiert ist.

Word origin

The German adverb gestern continues Old High German gestre(n) through Middle High German gestern, from an inherited Germanic form for the previous day.

Usage tips

  • As an adverb, gestern does not change, and fronting it normally puts the finite verb before the subject, as in 'Gestern regnete es.'

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word