sofort
immediately
Without any delay; right away and instantly.
EXAMPLE
Als sie den Feueralarm hörte, verließ sie sofort das Gebäude.
When she heard the fire alarm, she immediately left the building.
sofort
immediately
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Meanings
sofort
directly adjacent
An outdated or regional meaning for 'directly adjacent.'
EXAMPLE
Sein Grundstück liegt sofort am Waldrand.
His property lies directly next to the edge of the forest.
Usage tips
Position in the sentence
As an adverb, 'sofort' (immediately) can stand in different positions in the sentence. In position 1, it emphasizes urgency, and the verb follows directly after it. Inside the sentence, it usually stands after the conjugated verb.
EXAMPLE
Sofort rannte er los.
Immediately, he started running.
Direct tone
The word 'sofort' (immediately) is very direct and can sound strict in requests or commands. It leaves no room for delays.
EXAMPLE
Komm sofort hierher!
Come here immediately!
Outdated meaning
The meaning 'directly adjacent' is very rare today and is considered outdated or regional. In modern German, you will encounter almost exclusively the meaning 'unverzüglich' (immediately).
EXAMPLE
Das Grundstück liegt sofort am Park.
The property lies directly next to the park.
Compare with
gleichdirektdringendunmittelbarumgehendunverzüglichsogleichpromptaugenblicklichfristlosflugsruckzuck
sofort vs gleich
immediate / same
Both words refer to an action that will happen without a long wait. Gleich usually still allows a very short delay, whereas sofort explicitly means that there will be no delay. Use gleich for an action that will happen soon and sofort when it is supposed to begin or happen immediately.
sofort
Bitte ruf den Arzt sofort an, weil die Schmerzen plötzlich stärker geworden sind.
Please call the doctor immediately because the pain has suddenly become worse.
gleich
Ich rufe dich gleich zurück, sobald ich diesen Satz beendet habe.
I’ll call you back shortly, as soon as I’ve finished this sentence.
In real life
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