jau / dar

Already and Still

Level 2

jau already · dar still · jau ne- no longer · dar ne- not yet

How It Works

Four meanings from two words.

  • jau + verb: already – Jau pavalgiau. (I have already eaten.)
  • dar + verb: still – Dar gyvenu Kaune. (I still live in Kaunas.)
  • jau + ne-verb: no longer – Jau negyvenu Kaune. (I no longer live in Kaunas.)
  • dar + ne-verb: not yet – Dar nevalgiau. (I haven't eaten yet.)

Short answers. Ar jau baigei? – Dar ne. (Have you finished yet? – Not yet.) Ar dar lyja? – Jau ne. (Is it still raining? – Not any more.) Jau einu! means "I'm coming!"

Close relatives. Vis dar is a stronger "still": Jis vis dar miega. (He is still asleep.) "No longer" can also be said with the prefix nebe-: Jis čia nebedirba. People often combine them: jau nebedirba. "Still" can also be tebe-: tebegyvena.

Dar also means "more". Dar vieną kavą, prašom. (One more coffee, please.) dar kartą (once more). With a comparative it means "even": dar geriau (even better).

Jau with time words. Jau trečia valanda. (It is already three.) Jau seniai means "for a long time now": Jau seniai čia gyvenu. For "just now", use ką tik.

Examples (6)

  1. Jau vėlu.

    It is already late.

  2. Dar nebaigiau.

    I haven't finished yet.

    Word by Word: Still not-finished-I.

  3. Ar jau valgei? – Dar ne.

    Have you eaten yet? – Not yet.

  4. Vaikai dar miega.

    The children are still sleeping.

  5. Aš čia jau nedirbu.

    I no longer work here.

    Word by Word: I here already not-work.

    Jau with a negated verb means "no longer".

  6. Dar vieną kavą, prašom.

    One more coffee, please.

    Dar before a number means "more".

Common Mistakes

  • Using dar for "already".

    Aš dar baigiau darbą.
    Aš jau baigiau darbą.

    For something that has already happened, use jau. Dar can mean still, also or more; dar with a negated completed event can mean not yet.

  • Using jau ne- to mean "not yet".

    Traukinys jau neatvažiavo.
    Traukinys dar neatvažiavo.

    If the train is expected but has not come yet, say dar neatvažiavo. Jau does not express the intended expectation “not yet” here.

  • Writing ne apart from the verb.

    Aš dar ne valgiau.
    Aš dar nevalgiau.

    Ne- is joined to the verb as one word, also after dar and jau.

How It Connects

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

jau / darLevel 2Already and Still

Learn This First

Jau and dar describe whether a state has started or continues.

Words in This Pattern