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Is there a rule that tells me when to us "nur noch" over "nur"? Are they interchangeable? For example, consider the following two sentences:

  • Heute sehen wir uns nur noch selten.
  • Heute sehen wir uns nur selten.

To me, there is absolutely no difference.

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    "Heute" and "noch" convey the same kind of information: in earlier days, we saw each other more often, but now, this has changed. So you would say "Heute sehen wir uns nur selten" or "Wir sehen uns nur noch selten" with the same effect. "Noch" is not needed in this context.
    – Martin Schwehla
    Jan 31, 2015 at 0:57

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For me, "nur noch" implies that there is a difference to some other referenced situation. In your example this other situation is a point in time: "We see each other far too seldom" ("nur") as opposed to "We see each other far too seldom, but we used to see each other often" ("nur noch").

PS: When I think about it, you wouldn't use "nur" with a reference to time like "Heute" -- "nur noch" is the only one that is fully correct.

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    +1 also note the difference here: "Heute verdienen wir nur zwei Euro" vs. "Heute verdienen wir nur noch zwei Euro." ;)
    – Takkat
    Sep 21, 2013 at 22:15
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    "nur noch" can also mark some remaining timespan: "Es sind nur noch 2 Stunden bis Ladenschluss"
    – Vogel612
    Sep 21, 2013 at 22:22
  • I see. I actually took the example that I used from this sentence: Heute sehen wir uns nur noch selten, aber wenn wir uns treffen, ist es immer toll.
    – echoone
    Sep 22, 2013 at 1:59
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    In the English sentence "today we rarely see each other", it is the word "today" which implies a difference to the past. "We rarely see each other" would be used in a neutral context, in which it is unknown if the situation was different in the past. Is that interpretation different in German? Does "Heute sehen wir uns selten" not already mean "We rarely see each other, but we did more in the past"? If that was so, "nur" and "nur noch" would have the (same) only role of intensifying the idea.
    – Alan Evangelista
    Apr 21, 2019 at 9:14
  • What exactly is the difference between "Heute verdienen wir nur zwei Euro" vs. "Heute verdienen wir nur noch zwei Euro." ?
    – Djanoko
    Dec 7, 2023 at 11:46

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