Gradation Particle "erst" - Only/Not Until

At its heart, erst is obsessed with time and sequences. It looks at a number or a point in time and says, "We are only here right now, but we expect to go further." It creates a bridge between the present and a future state. For example, if you say you are erst twenty years old, you are implying that you have many more years ahead of you. If a train arrives erst at 9:00 PM, you are suggesting that 9:00 PM is later than you wanted. It is a very subjective word. It carries your feelings about the situation. Are you waiting for a friend? Is the pizza taking too long? Use erst to show that the timing feels "late" or "early in a sequence." It is the difference between a cold fact and a human observation. Even native speakers use this to add a little drama to their daily schedules.

1. 1Using erst in a sentence is actually quite simple. It usually sits right before the word or number it is modifying. Follow these steps to build your sentence:
2. 2Start with your subject and verb: Ich bin... (I am...).
3. 3Place erst right after the verb: Ich bin erst....
4. 4Add your number, age, or time: Ich bin erst fünf Minuten hier. (I have only been here for five minutes).
5. 5If you are using it with a specific time of day, it looks like this:
6. 6Der Film beginnt erst um acht. (The movie doesn't start until eight).
7. 7Notice how the English translation changes? In German, erst stays the same. Whether you mean "only" for age or "not until" for a clock time, erst does the heavy lifting for you. It is like a Swiss Army knife for your sentences.

You should reach for erst in three main scenarios. First, use it for clock time. If you think it is early, use erst. Es ist erst sieben Uhr. (It is only seven o'clock). Second, use it for age. Mein Sohn ist erst drei. (My son is only three). This shows he is still at the beginning of his life. Third, use it for progress in a sequence. Imagine you are reading a long book. You are on page ten. You would say, Ich bin erst auf Seite zehn. This tells the listener that you have many pages left to go. It works great in job interviews too! If you have only been at your current job for a month, you say, Ich arbeite erst einen Monat dort. It sounds much more natural than using other words. It shows you understand how time flows in German culture.

This is where many learners trip over their own feet. Do not use erst when you are talking about a limited quantity of things that won't change soon. If you have only five Euros in your pocket, and that is just a sad fact about your bank account, use nur. Ich habe nur fünf Euro. If you say Ich habe erst fünf Euro, a German person will wait for you to find more money! Erst implies that the number will grow. Also, don't use erst for exclusive choices. If you only like coffee and hate tea, say Ich trinke nur Kaffee. Using erst there would mean you are starting with coffee but plan to drink everything else in the cafe later. That might be a bit much for one afternoon! Keep erst for time, age, and things that are "not yet" finished.

The biggest mistake is the "Quantity Trap." Learners often use erst when they mean nur. Remember: nur is for "just this and nothing more." Erst is for "just this so far, but more is coming." Another common slip-up is word order. Don't put erst at the very end of the sentence like we sometimes do with "only" in English. It needs to hug the word it describes. Also, watch out for zuerst. That means "first of all" in a list of actions. If you say Ich komme zuerst um zehn, people will think you are the first person arriving at a party. If you mean "not until ten," stick with erst. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired, but you can be better! Think of it like a puzzle piece. It only fits if the timing is right.

To really understand erst, you have to see it next to its rivals: nur and schon.

• nur is static. It is a wall. Ich habe nur zwei Katzen. (I have two cats, and that is it).
• erst is dynamic. It is a starting line. Ich habe erst zwei Katzen. (I have two cats so far, but I might become a crazy cat person soon).
• schon is the opposite of erst. It means "already." It implies something happened earlier than expected. Es ist schon acht Uhr! (It is already eight o'clock!).

If erst is the person who is never ready, schon is the person who finished the homework three days ago. Using these correctly tells the listener exactly how you feel about the passage of time. It is like adding color to a black-and-white photo. One word changes the whole mood of the conversation.