einst

once

adverb YNST Less Common

Also means

someday

Usage Note

einst is a literary, slightly poetic word meaning 'once upon a time' in the past — everyday speech prefers früher or damals. Curiously it can also point to the distant future ('someday'), so context decides whether it looks back or forward.

Examples

"Hier stand einst eine Burg."

Natural Translation

A castle once stood here.

Literal Translation

Here stood once a castle.

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