ยัง (ยังคง)

Still

Level 2

ยัง (yang) = Still / Yet. It marks continuity from the past into the present.

How It Works

1. Meaning 'Still':
Place ยัง before a verb or adjective. For active verbs, it is usually paired with อยู่ at the end: ยัง + [Verb] + อยู่. For stative verbs or adjectives (like 'beautiful' or 'hot'), you can use just ยัง + [Adjective], which sounds perfectly natural. Adding อยู่ at the end is also common if you want to emphasize the ongoing state.

2. Meaning 'Yet' in Questions:
To ask if someone has done something 'yet', place ยัง at the end of the sentence. The full, standard form is หรือยัง (or yet?). You can add a polite question particle at the end: ครับ for a male speaker, or คะ (khá, high tone) for a female speaker. The falling-tone form ค่ะ is used for statements and answers. Politeness also depends on the situation. Using just ยัง at the end is common but much more informal. You can also answer these questions with just the single word ยัง to mean 'not yet' in that question context.

3. 'Not Yet' vs 'Haven't Done Yet':
For 'not yet' with an event, or 'still not' with a state, use ยังไม่. If you want to emphasize that an expected event has failed to happen up to this point, use ยังไม่ได้ + Verb.

4. Impatience and Surprise:
The pattern ยัง...อีก (still... again/more) is used to express that something is continuing beyond what is expected, often carrying a tone of surprise or annoyance.

5. Formal Usage:
In formal writing, you may see ยังคง (yang khong). This also expresses a continuing state and is common in formal writing.

Examples (6)

  1. เขายังทำงานอยู่

    He is still working.

    Word by Word: He still work [continuous]

    This uses the 'yang ... yùu' frame to show an action is still in progress.

  2. กินข้าวหรือยัง

    Have you eaten yet?

    Word by Word: Eat rice or yet?

    When asking if something has happened 'yet', 'yang' moves to the end of the sentence, often paired with หรือ (or). Using just ยัง at the end is more informal. Note that asking if someone has eaten yet is a very common cultural greeting in Thailand, similar to asking 'How are you?'.

  3. ยัง

    Not yet.

    Word by Word: Yet

    In Thai, you can answer a 'yet?' question with just the word 'yang' to mean 'not yet'.

  4. เขายังไม่ได้มา

    He hasn't come yet.

    Word by Word: He yet not get come

    Using ไม่ได้ with ยัง emphasizes that an expected action hasn't happened yet.

  5. ยังจะกินอีกเหรอ

    You're still going to eat more?

    Word by Word: Still will eat more [surprise]?

    The pattern ยัง...อีก (still... more/again) often expresses surprise or impatience.

  6. เขายังสวยอยู่

    She is still beautiful.

    Word by Word: She still beautiful [continuous]

    When ยัง is used with an adjective (stative verb), the progressive marker อยู่ can be added to emphasize the ongoing state, though omitting it (เขายังสวย) is also completely standard and natural.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing ยัง after the verb when you mean 'still'.

    เขากินยังข้าว
    เขายังกินข้าว

    For 'He is still eating rice,' put ยัง before กิน: เขายังกินข้าว. The order เขากินยังข้าว puts the continuity marker between the verb and its object, so it does not express this meaning.

How It Connects

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ยัง (ยังคง)Level 2Still

Learn This First

To understand 'ยัง' (still), you need to know basic Thai sentence structure to place it correctly before the verb. It is also helpful to understand how Thai marks ongoing actions using 'อยู่' and how 'ยัง' relates to its negative counterpart 'ยังไม่' (not yet).

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ยัง