už / ještě

Aspect with Už and Ještě

Level 3

Czech doesn't use four different words for "already," "still," "yet," and "anymore." Instead, it uses a logical system combining just two adverbs—už and ještě—with verbal aspect and negation.

How It Works

1. The Logic of Už and Ještě
Instead of translating English words directly, think about boundaries. Už marks that a threshold has been crossed or a change happened. Ještě marks that a state is continuing without change.

2. Positive Sentences
For finished actions with a specific result, use už with a perfective verb: Už jsem to udělal. (I have already done it). However, in the past tense, už frequently pairs with imperfective verbs to ask about or state general experience: Už jsi to někdy jedl? (Have you ever eaten it?) or Už jsi jedl? (Have you eaten yet?). In the present tense, už with imperfective means 'doing it now' or 'already doing it': Už jdu! (I'm coming now!). For ongoing actions, use ještě with an imperfective verb: Ještě to dělám. (I am still doing it). Note that pořád (colloquial) and stále (formal) can also translate as 'still' for ongoing actions (e.g., Pořád to dělám.), but they are not exact synonyms of ještě, as they primarily mean 'constantly' or 'all the time'. You can also use ještě with perfective verbs in the past, future, or imperative to mean 'additionally' or 'one more thing': Ještě jsem to udělal. (I did it additionally / I also did that), Ještě to udělám. (I will do it additionally / I'll get to it later), and Ještě to udělej. (Do that as well / Make sure to get that done too). Warning: English speakers often misuse Ještě jsem to udělal to mean 'I still did it (anyway/regardless)'. To express 'still (despite X)', Czech uses přesto: Přesto jsem to udělal. (I still did it anyway).

3. Negative Sentences and the 2x2 Grid of Opposites
The core of this system is a symmetrical 2x2 grid of opposites. The opposite of už (already) is ještě ne (not yet). The opposite of ještě (still) is už ne (not anymore). To say "not yet," use ještě + a negated verb. This often pairs with perfective verbs: Ještě jsem to neudělal. (I haven't done it yet), but also works with imperfective verbs in the present: Ještě nespí. (He isn't sleeping yet) or past for general experience: Ještě jsem nejedl. (I haven't eaten yet). Warning: Learners often mistakenly use už ne to mean "not yet". Remember the grid: už ne means "not anymore" (stopping a habit): Už to nedělám. (I don't do it anymore). To say "not again" (like a promise), use už + a negated perfective verb in the future: Už to neudělám. (I won't do it again). In the past tense, už + negated perfective means "in the end, I didn't do it": Už jsem to neudělal. (I didn't do it after all).

4. Future Tense & Short Answers
These adverbs work seamlessly in the future tense: Už to nebudu dělat. (I won't do it anymore) vs. Už to neudělám. (I won't do it again). In conversation, standalone short answers are very common: Ještě ne. (Not yet.), Už ne. (Not anymore.), and Už jo. (Now I do / Yes, I have).

5. Questions and Word Order
In questions, už often translates to "yet": Už jsi jedl? (Have you eaten yet?). Syntactically, if už or ještě stands alone as the first phrase in a clause, it forces second-position clitics immediately after it: Už jsem to četl. (Not: Už četl jsem to.). However, if it modifies another word, the clitic follows the entire phrase: Už zítra to udělám.

6. Ještě for "More" or "Another"
A crucial use of ještě is to express "more" or "another" of something, which is very common in Czech. For example: Dáš si ještě pivo? (Will you have another beer?) or Ještě jednou, prosím. (One more time, please.).

7. Time Expressions and Comparatives
Both words can emphasize time expressions. Už indicates something happening sooner than expected: Už zítra (As early as tomorrow). Ještě indicates there is still time left: Ještě dnes (Still today). Additionally, ještě is frequently used with comparative adjectives or comparative adverbs to mean "even": To je ještě lepší. (That is even better.) or Běžel ještě rychleji. (He ran even faster.).

Examples (6)

  1. Už jsem tu knihu přečetl.

    I have already read the book.

    Word by Word: Already am that book read.

    už + perfective verb indicates a completed action and an achieved result.

  2. Ještě tu knihu čtu.

    I am still reading the book.

    Word by Word: Still that book read.

    ještě + imperfective verb indicates an ongoing state.

  3. Už to neudělám.

    I won't do it again.

    Word by Word: Already it not-do.

    už ne- + perfective verb means 'not again', referring to a single future action (often used as a promise or apology).

  4. Už to nebudu dělat.

    I won't do it anymore.

    Word by Word: Already it not-will do.

    už ne- + imperfective verb means 'not anymore', indicating the end of a habit or ongoing action.

  5. Dáš si ještě pivo?

    Will you have another beer?

    Word by Word: Give self still beer?

    ještě is frequently used to mean 'more' or 'another'.

  6. Máš hotovo? – Ještě ne.

    Are you finished? – Not yet.

    Word by Word: Have finished? – Still no.

    Standalone short answers like 'Ještě ne' (Not yet) and 'Už jo' (Now I do / Yes, I have) are extremely common in conversation.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a perfective verb with 'ještě' when you mean an ongoing action.

    Different MeaningJeště jsem to přečetl.
    Ještě jsem to četl.

    Ještě jsem to přečetl is possible, but it means 'I still managed to read it all (in time)'. To say you were still in the middle of reading, use an imperfective verb: Ještě jsem to četl.

  • Using 'už ne-' (not any more) when you mean 'not yet'.

    Different MeaningUž jsem to neudělal.
    Ještě jsem to neudělal.

    This is a good sentence, but už with a negative verb means 'not any more' (it stopped or was not repeated). To say 'not yet', use ještě with the negative verb, as in the right sentence.

  • Adding a redundant 'ne' after the verb.

    Nejedl jsem ještě ne.
    Ještě jsem nejedl.

    The grammatical negation is already attached to the verb as the prefix 'ne-'. The adverb itself remains 'ještě'.

How It Connects

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už / ještěLevel 3Aspect with Už and Ještě

Learn This First

To learn the use of 'už' (already) and 'ještě' (still/yet), learners must first understand the Czech verbal aspect system, as the meaning of these particles changes depending on whether the verb is perfective or imperfective. Additionally, knowledge of past tense formation and verb negation is necessary to construct common sentences like 'I haven't finished yet' or 'I have already read it'.

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užještě