Focus particle 'nur' (only)

What it is. nur is the everyday restrictive focus particle meaning only / just. It limits the focus to a single element or a small quantity, excluding everything else.

How it works. It is stressed and stands before the element it restricts; its position controls its scope.

• Ich habe nur zehn Euro. - I only have ten euros.
• Nur er hat es gesehen. - Only he saw it.
• Er hat nur das gesehen. - He saw only that.

Common mistakes. Scope depends on placement: Nur er hat es gesehen (no one else saw it) differs sharply from Er hat es nur gesehen (he only saw, didn't act). For formal writing, lediglich or bloß are stylistic variants. Note that nur also has separate uses as a modal particle in questions and wishes (Wenn er nur käme!), which is a different function.

'nur' (only) restricts the focus to one element/amount.

Restricts to one element/amount; before the focused element.

'nur' schränkt auf ein Element/eine Menge ein.