Shtill, alsnoch, noch, and doch all mean still. But each word means something different.
Shtill
Shtill (adj) = quiet (as in “be still”)
Shtill is an adjective, so it always describes something. It is not to be confused with something that’s continuing.
Examples
- ‘S meisli is shtill.
- ‘S kind is nett shtill — eah is laut.
- En goodah hund is en shtillah hund.
Shtill is never used to talk about time. The next two words, alsnoch and noch, are used when talking about time.
Alsnoch
Alsnoch = still (as in ongoing and continuing)
Alsnoch is used to talk about something that started in the past, or that is already happening and may continue.
Examples
- Miah sinn alsnoch in di ald veld.
- Bisht du alsnoch am shaffa an dei haus?
- “Dess is alsnoch unsah land…” (2 Chronik 14:7)
Noch
Noch = yet (for the future), after, another
Noch is used to talk about:
- something that will happen in the future (ie still to come).
- something that will happen after (but not necessarily immediately).
- something additional.
- as of yet.
Examples
- Vass gebt noch dee zeit? (as in in the future)
- … awl mensha kumma noch een. (as in after)
- Noch aynah is da Sam. (as in another)
- Vass noch musht du du ebdihand? (as in yet or what still needs to happen)
- Noch nett. (as in not happened yet.)
Doch
Doch = still, even so/nevertheless, after all
Doch can mean:
- still (as in will or is happening despite difficulties or unlikely situations)
- even so / nevertheless / after all (as in the final result)
Doch is used to talk about something that is true, continues to be true, or is happening even when this is surprising. Doch is almost always used when talking about something that has already been mentioned.
Examples:
- Unsah boss is en importandah mann mitt feel responsibilities, eah is doch immah goot zu uns. (as in still)
- Leit henn iahra questions kshikt zu iahra boss. Doch, si feela es iahra questions sinn nett gensaht. (as in even so)
- Di Mowrey’s zayla doch pizza macha. (as in after all.)
Note: In the last example, if the Mowrey’s plans to make pizza had never been called into question, doch would not be used. You would instead simply say, “Di Mowrey’s zayla pizza macha.”