erst
German, adverb/eːrst/
erst is spelled E-R-S-T (4 letters) and appears 575 times per million words in written German, the 161st most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Erst is a German adverb meaning “first, at first” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “zuvor, vorher”.
What does erst mean in English?
adverb
- 1
first, at first
- 2
only (with progress, accomplishments or the present time)
Sie ist erst 28 Jahre alt.
- 3
not until, not for, not before (with reference to a point or period of time in the future)
Ich bin erst nächsten Monat in Urlaub.
- 4
only, as recently as (with reference to the past)
Er ist erst gestern gegangen.
- 5
ellipsis of erstmal
Es ist kalt im Süden. Und im Norden erst!
- 6
Switzerlandsynonym of zumal
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adverb: 1. zuvor, vorher 2. zunächst 3. dann, aber nicht früher 4. ganz neulich
particle: 1. zudem, obendrein
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
How do you pronounce erst?
- /eːrst/
- [ʔeːɐ̯st]
- [ʔɛɐ̯st]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
How common is erst in German?
erst appears 575 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).