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jemals
ever
At any point in the past, present, or future; at some time. Often used in questions and negative sentences.
example
Hast du jemals so etwas Schönes gesehen?
Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
jemals
ever
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Meanings
Usage tips
Sentence structure and use
'Jemals' (ever) is mainly used in two situations: in questions and in sentences with a negation, for example with 'nicht' (not), 'niemand' (nobody), or 'kaum' (hardly). In simple positive statements, it is rare.
EXAMPLE
Warst du jemals in Australien?
Have you ever been to Australia?
Word structure
The word is made up of 'je' (ever/always) and the suffix '-mals', which has a time-related meaning. You can also find this suffix in words like 'damals' (back then), 'niemals' (never), or 'oftmals' (often).
EXAMPLE
Niemals hätte ich gedacht, dass das möglich ist.
I would never have thought that was possible.
Use with the superlative
'Jemals' (ever) is often used together with a superlative to strengthen a statement. It emphasizes that something is the best, worst, most beautiful, etc. over an entire period of time.
EXAMPLE
Das war der beste Kuchen, den ich jemals gegessen habe.
That was the best cake I have ever eaten.
Compare with
jemals vs mal
once / times
'mal' in 'schon mal' and 'jemals' can both ask about a point at some time in the past or future. 'schon mal' is very natural in everyday speech when asking about an experience: has someone experienced or done something before? 'jemals' sounds stronger and often somewhat more formal or serious. It is frequently used in questions and negative sentences. Learners may confuse the words because both mean 'at some point ever'. As a practical rule: for normal experiences in conversation, 'schon mal' is usually better; 'jemals' puts stronger emphasis on whether something has happened at any point at all.
jemals
Herr Klein fragt sich, ob er jemals wieder so ein gutes Angebot findet.
Mr. Klein wonders whether he will ever find such a good offer again.
mal
Hast du schon mal in einer anderen Stadt gewohnt?
Have you ever lived in another city before?
In real life
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