Introduction. The focus of this publication is the functional purpose of the discourse marker jetzt in monologic and dialogic speech. The purpose of the study is to compare the functional purpose of the discourse marker jetzt in monologue and dialogue. Examples selected from the DWDS corpus, mainly from the sub-corpus of Parlamentsreden and from the colloquial corpus (Datenbank für gesprochenes Deutsch Database for spoken German), served as research materials. Through the use of descriptive and comparative methods, the method of contextual analysis, the functions of the discourse marker jetzt in oral monologue and dialogue were analyzed. Research results. The study revealed the general and specific properties of the word jetzt as an adverb of time and as a discourse marker. Jetzt, losing its lexical meaning and acquiring the function of a discourse marker, acts as a pragmatic element. Jetzt can be found in both dialogic and monologic speech. At the same time, the differences in the functional purpose of jetzt as a discursive word are due to the very specific characteristics of monologue and dialogue. In monologic speech, the speaker emphasizes the importance of new information and draws attention to the change of circumstances. In dialogic speech, jetzt occurs if the speaker wants to indicate a new aspect that the interlocutor needs to pay attention to. The theoretical significance of the work is determined by the fact that it makes a certain contribution to the study of the functions of discourse markers depending on the communicative situation. The practical significance is determined by the fact that the results obtained can be used in the classes of the German language practice, the theory and practice of intercultural communication and in practical classes of the German language grammar.