ya no/todavía no/aún no
Temporal Negation
ya no = no longer, not anymore
todavía no / aún no = not yet, still not
How It Works
These three adverbs of time are crucial for expressing changes in states or actions over time.
1. Ya no (No longer / Not anymore)
This expression is used to state that an action, habit, or situation that held earlier no longer holds at the relevant reference point. It marks a clear change or stop.
- It contrasts an earlier state with a later one; the reference point can itself be in the past, as in ya no fumaba.
- Word order is typically
ya no + verb.
Example: Antes fumaba, pero ya no fumo. (I used to smoke, but I don't smoke anymore.)
2. Todavía no / Aún no (Not yet / Still not)
These two expressions are interchangeable and indicate that an action or event that is expected to happen has not occurred by the relevant reference point. They imply anticipation or expectation.
Aún nocan be perceived as slightly more formal or emphatic thantodavía no, but they are used interchangeably in most contexts.- Word order is typically
todavía no + verboraún no + verb.
Example: Todavía no he terminado la tarea. (I haven't finished the homework yet.)
Important Distinction:
Don't confuse these with their affirmative counterparts:
ya= already, now. (¿Ya comiste? - Did you eat already?)todavía/aún= still. (Todavía estoy aquí. - I'm still here.)
The addition of no completely changes the meaning from continuation/completion to cessation/non-completion.
Examples (5)
- Ya no vivo en Madrid. Ahora vivo en Barcelona.
I don't live in Madrid anymore. Now I live in Barcelona.
Word by Word: Already no I-live in Madrid. Now I-live in Barcelona.
ya noindicates a change of state. The speaker used to live in Madrid, but that is no longer the case. - Mi hermano todavía no ha llegado del trabajo.
My brother hasn't arrived from work yet.
Word by Word: My brother still not has arrived from-the work.
todavía noexpresses that his arrival is expected, but it has not happened at the time of speaking. - ¿Has visto la nueva película? — No, aún no la he visto.
Have you seen the new movie? — No, I haven't seen it yet.
Word by Word: ¿Have-you seen the new movie? — No, yet not it I-have seen.
aún nois used here interchangeably withtodavía noto mean 'not yet'. - Cuando era niño, me encantaba el brócoli, pero ya no me gusta.
When I was a child, I loved broccoli, but I don't like it anymore.
Word by Word: When I-was child, to-me it-delighted the broccoli, but already no to-me it-pleases.
ya noshows that a past preference (loving broccoli) has ceased. - Aún no sabemos si vamos a ir de vacaciones este verano.
We still don't know if we are going to go on vacation this summer.
Word by Word: Yet not we-know if we-are-going to go of vacation this summer.
aún noindicates that the action of knowing has not yet occurred, but is expected or hoped for.
Common Mistakes
Confusing 'ya no' (no longer) with 'todavía no' (not yet).
Todavía no trabajo en esa empresa. Me fui el mes pasado.Ya no trabajo en esa empresa. Me fui el mes pasado.Use
ya noto talk about something that has stopped.Todavía noimplies you are still waiting for something to happen (or not happen). Since the person already left the company,ya nois correct.Incorrect word order, such as placing 'no' before 'ya'.
No ya quiero más sopa, gracias.Ya no quiero más sopa, gracias.For this neutral no-longer meaning, use ya no before the verb. No ya belongs to other constructions and does not work in this sentence.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn 'ya no' (no longer) and 'todavía no/aún no' (not yet), you first need a solid grasp of basic negation. Since these terms often describe the status of an action or state relative to the present, familiarity with the present perfect tense and how to describe conditions with 'estar' is highly beneficial for practical usage.
- no + VerbBasic Negation
Understanding basic negation is essential because 'ya no', 'todavía no', and 'aún no' are extensions of the standard negative structure in Spanish.
Foundations - Present Perfect Use
These temporal markers are frequently used with the present perfect to describe actions that have or have not occurred up to the present moment.
Level 3 - estar + AdjectiveEstar for Conditions
These markers are often used to describe changes in states or conditions (e.g., 'ya no está cansado'), requiring knowledge of how to express conditions with 'estar'.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- dejar de + InfinitiveStop Doing
The verbal periphrasis dejar de + infinitive is semantically very similar to
Level 5ya no. 'Dejé de fumar' (I stopped smoking) conveys the same core idea as 'Ya no fumo' (I don't smoke anymore). - soler + InfinitiveHabitual Action
Level 5ya nois often used to express the cessation of a past habit. This contrasts directly with actions described by `soler` or the imperfect tense. For example, 'Antes solía leer mucho, pero ya no tengo tiempo'. - acabar de + InfinitiveJust Did
Acabar de + infinitive expresses an action that has just been completed, creating a temporal contrast with
Level 1todavía no, which expresses an action that has not yet happened. 'Acabo de llegar' (I just arrived) vs. 'Todavía no he llegado' (I haven't arrived yet).
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice ya no/todavía no/aún no in Bubblegum
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