פֿאָרט / דאָך


– The usage of the adverbs פֿאָרט and דאָך overlaps considerably. 

– They can be stressed or unstressed with different meanings. 

– Sometimes they even appear together in the middle (not in the beginning) of a phrase: דאָך פֿאָרט… In such combinations, the דאָך is always unstressed.



1. ‘after all,’ ‘as you know,’ ‘obviously’ (unstressed) - דאָך

משהלע איז דאָך צו יונג צו פֿאַרשטיין.

[MÓYShELE IZ DOKh TSU YUNG TSU FARShTÉYN.]

[After all,] Moyshele’s too young to understand.


וווּ איז יאַנקל ערגעץ אַוועק? כ׳האָב אים דאָך ערשט דאָ געזען.

[VU IZ YANKL ERGETS AVÉK? Kh’HOB IM DOKh ERShT DO GEZÉN.]

Where did Yankl go off to? [After all,] I just saw him here.


מלכּה זאָרגט זיך וועגן דעם עקזאַמען, כאָטש זי קען דאָך זייער גוט דעם מאַטעריאַל.

[MÁLKE ZORGT ZIKh VEGN DEM EKZÁMEN, KhOTSh ZI KEN DOKh ZÉYER GUT DEM MATERYÁL.]

Malke’s quite nervous about the test, although she [obviously] knows the material very well.


די באָבע איז דאָך געווען שוואַך, איז זי אַ גאַנצן טאָג נישט אַרויס פֿון בעט.

[DI BÓBE IZ DOKh GEVÉN ShVAKh, IZ ZI A GANTSN TOG NIShT ARÓYS FUN BET.]

My grandmother was weak [as you know], so she didn’t get out of bed all day.



2. ‘in spite of everything,’ ‘still and all,’ ‘all the same,’ ‘yet,’ ‘nevertheless’ (stressed) - 

דאָך; פֿאָרט; דאָך פֿאָרט


כאָטש דאָבע איז נישט פֿאַרמעגלעך גיט זי פֿאָרט ‹דאָך/דאָך פֿאָרט› אַ סך צדקה.

[KhOTSh DÓBE IZ NIShT FARMÉGLEKh GIT ZI FORT <DOKh/DOKh FORT> A SAKh TSDÓKE.]

Although Dobe isn’t well-off, she still gives a lot to charity.


מע האָט געוווּסט און פֿאָרט ‹דאָך› האָט מען געשוויגן.

[ME HOT GEVÚST UN FORT <DOKh> HOT MEN GEShVÍGN.]

People knew and still they stayed quiet.


דאָס עסן האָט זיך אַ ביסל צו לאַנג געקאָכט; פֿאָרט ‹דאָך› איז דער מאכל געווען געשמאַק.

[DOS ESN HOT ZIKh A BISL TSU LANG GEKÓKhT; FORT <DOKh> IZ DER MAYKhL GEVÉN GEShMÁK.]

The food was a little overcooked, but the dish was still delicious.


חיים איז געווען פֿאַרקילט; פֿאָרט ‹דאָך› איז ער געפֿאָרן צו דער אַרבעט.

[KhÁYEM IZ GEVÉN FARKÍLT; FORT <DOKh> IZ ER GEFÓRN TSU DER ÁRBET.]

Khayem had a cold, but he went to work anyway.


קיין נאָבל־פּרעמיע האָט מען מאַהאַטמאַ גאַנדהין נישט פֿאַרטיילט; פֿאָרט ‹דאָך› האָט ער עס כּשר פֿאַרדינט.

[KEYN NÓBL-PRÉMYE HOT MEN MAHÁTMA GÁNDHIN NIShT FARTÉYLT; FORT <DOKh> HOT ER ES KÓShER FARDÍNT.]

Mahatma Gandhi never received the Nobel Prize, though he certainly earned it.


געלע האָט פֿאַרשטאַנען אַז די נסיעה וועט זײַן סכּנהדיק, אָבער פֿאָרט ‹דאָך› האָט זי געוואָלט פֿאָרן.

[GÉLE HOT FARShTÁNEN AZ DI NESÍYE VET ZAYN SAKÓNEDIK, ÓBER FORT <DOKH> HOT ZI GEVÓLT FORN.]

Gele understood that the trip was dangerous, but she still wanted to go.



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