už / ešte

Already, Still and Yet

Level 2

Už = already, už nie = not any more. Ešte = still, ešte nie = not yet: Ešte spí. (He's still asleep.)

How It Works

Four meanings

  • už + positive verb = already: Už som tu. (I'm already here.)
  • už + negated verb = not any more: Už tam nebývam. (I don't live there any more.)
  • ešte + positive verb = still: Ešte spí. (He's still asleep.)
  • ešte + negated verb = not yet: Ešte som nejedol. (I haven't eaten yet.)

The negation stays on the verb as usual: ne- joins the verb, and byť uses nie: Ešte nie som hotový. (I'm not ready yet.) See Negating Verbs With ne-.

Questions and short answers

In a question už asks whether something has happened yet: Už si jedol? (Have you eaten yet?) The short answers are Už. (Yes, already.), Ešte nie. (Not yet.) and Už nie. (Not any more.)

Other uses of ešte

  • more, another: Ešte jednu kávu, prosím. (One more coffee, please.)
  • again: ešte raz (once more)
  • else: Čo ešte? (What else?)

Useful phrases. Už idem! means I'm coming! Stále also means still and is often added for emphasis: Ešte stále prší. (It's still raining.)

Examples (6)

  1. Už som tu.

    I'm already here.

  2. Ešte spí.

    He's still asleep.

  3. Ešte som nejedol.

    I haven't eaten yet.

    ešte with a negated verb means not yet. A woman would say Ešte som nejedla.

  4. Už tam nebývam.

    I don't live there any more.

    už with a negated verb means not any more.

  5. Už si bol v Tatrách?

    Have you been to the Tatras yet?

  6. Ešte jednu kávu, prosím.

    One more coffee, please.

    Here ešte means more or another.

Common Mistakes

  • Using už for not yet (intended meaning: I haven't eaten yet).

    Už som nejedol.
    Ešte som nejedol.

    Už with a negated verb means not any more, so Už som nejedol says you stopped eating. For not yet, use ešte.

  • Using ešte for no longer (intended meaning: He doesn't work here any more).

    Ešte tu nepracuje.
    Už tu nepracuje.

    Ešte with a negated verb means not yet, as if he will start soon. For something that has stopped, use už.

How It Connects

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

už / ešteLevel 2Already, Still and Yet

Learn This First

Before Already, Still and Yet, learn Negating Verbs With ne-. ešte nie and už nie combine with negation.

Words in This Pattern