...未（呀）

Have You … Yet?

Level 2Sounds Like . . . mei6 （ aa4 ）

Add ...未（呀） (mei6 aa3) to the end of a clause to ask 'Have you ... yet?' or 'Has [X] happened yet?' This implies an expectation that the event is planned or scheduled to happen.

How It Works

Function and Nuance
Placing 未 (mei6, 'not yet') at the end of a sentence asks whether an action has taken place yet. Unlike neutral past questions, using ...未（呀） carries a strong presupposition that the event is expected, planned, or routine.

Role of 呀 (aa3)
While sentence-final 未 forms the functional question, ending directly on 未 can sound curt or blunt. Appending the softening particle 呀 (aa3) creates 未呀 (mei6 aa3), which is standard in friendly, everyday Cantonese conversation.

Co-occurrence with Aspect Markers
• With Perfective 咗 (zo2): Used for recent or routine completed actions (e.g., 食咗飯未呀？ 'Have you eaten yet?').
• With Experiential 過 (gwo3): Used to ask if someone has ever experienced something yet (e.g., 去過未呀？ 'Have you been there yet?').
• With Resultative Complements (完 / 好): Attached directly after verbs with phase/result complements without needing 咗 (e.g., 做完未呀？ 'Finished yet?').

Nuance vs. 有冇 (jau5 mou5) / ...冇呀 (mou5 aa3)
• ...未呀？: Presupposes the action is expected. Answer with 未 (not yet) or [V]咗 (already did).
• 有冇 / ...冇呀？: A neutral inquiry with no expectation. Answer with 冇 (didn't) or 有 (did).

Examples (4)

  1. 你食咗飯未呀？

    Have you eaten yet?

    Word by Word: you eat PERFECTIVE rice NOT-YET SOFTENER

    A standard daily Cantonese greeting using 咗 (zo2) with 未呀 (mei6 aa3).

  2. 佢哋到咗未呀？

    Have they arrived yet?

    Word by Word: they arrive PERFECTIVE NOT-YET SOFTENER

    Asks if an expected arrival has taken place yet.

  3. 功課做完未呀？

    Have you finished your homework yet?

    Word by Word: homework do finish NOT-YET SOFTENER

    Uses the resultative complement 完 (jyun4, finish) directly before 未呀.

  4. 你睇過呢套戲未呀？

    Have you seen this movie yet?

    Word by Word: you watch EXPERIENTIAL this CLASSIFIER movie NOT-YET SOFTENER

    Combines experiential aspect 過 (gwo3) with 未呀 to ask about past experience.

Common Mistakes

  • Answering a '...未呀？' question with '冇' (mou5) instead of '未' (mei6).

    問：你食咗飯未呀？ 答：冇。
    問：你食咗飯未呀？ 答：未呀。

    In Cantonese, 冇 (mou5) denies that an action happened at all, whereas 未 (mei6) or 未呀 (mei6 aa3) correctly signals 'not yet' for an expected action.

  • Using 未 before the verb for a 'Have you … yet?' question.

    Different Meaning你未食飯呀？
    你食咗飯未呀？

    你未食飯呀 is natural, but it means 'You haven't eaten yet?', checking something you suspect. To ask 'Have you eaten yet?', put 未 at the end: 你食咗飯未呀？

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

...未（呀）Level 2Have You … Yet?

Learn This First

To understand the '...未（呀）' pattern, you first need to understand the concept of 'not yet' (未) and how it contrasts with completed actions (咗). Familiarity with basic sentence-final particles like '呀' is also helpful for natural phrasing.

Words in This Pattern