Ya, Todavía, Ya No, and Todavía No

Spanish uses ya, todavía, ya no, and todavía no to show whether something has already happened, is still happening, has stopped, or has not happened yet.

A useful comparison is:

• ya — already / now
• todavía — still
• ya no — no longer / not anymore
• todavía no — not yet

Compare:

• Ya vivo en Madrid. — I live in Madrid now.
• Todavía vivo en Madrid. — I still live in Madrid.
• Ya no vivo en Madrid. — I no longer live in Madrid.
• Todavía no vivo en Madrid. — I do not live in Madrid yet.

Ya

Ya often means “already.” It shows that something has happened or is now true.

• Ya he comido. — I have already eaten.
• Ya terminé el trabajo. — I already finished the work.
• ¿Ya has visto la película? — Have you seen the movie already?
• Ya sé la respuesta. — I know the answer now.

With completed actions, ya often emphasizes that the action happened earlier than expected or is now finished.

Ya can also mean “now”

In some contexts, ya means that a situation has changed and is true now.

• Ya entiendo. — Now I understand.
• Ya tengo coche. — I have a car now.
• Ya está abierto. — It is open now.

Todavía

Todavía means “still” when a situation continues.

• Todavía vivo con mis padres. — I still live with my parents.
• Todavía estoy trabajando. — I am still working.
• Todavía llueve. — It is still raining.
• Ana todavía estudia español. — Ana still studies Spanish.

Aún can often be used with the same meaning:

• Aún estoy esperando. — I am still waiting.

At A2 level, todavía is a very useful form to learn first.

Ya no

Ya no means “no longer” or “not anymore.”

It shows that something was true before but is not true now.

• Ya no vivo allí. — I do not live there anymore.
• Ya no trabajo los sábados. — I no longer work on Saturdays.
• Ana ya no fuma. — Ana does not smoke anymore.
• Ya no tengo hambre. — I am not hungry anymore.

Compare:

• Todavía trabajo aquí. — I still work here.
• Ya no trabajo aquí. — I do not work here anymore.

The first situation continues. The second has ended.

Todavía no

Todavía no means “not yet.”

It shows that something has not happened, but it may happen later.

• Todavía no he comido. — I have not eaten yet.
• Todavía no sé la respuesta. — I do not know the answer yet.
• El tren todavía no ha llegado. — The train has not arrived yet.
• Todavía no hemos decidido. — We have not decided yet.

This is especially common with the Pretérito Perfecto when talking about actions that have not happened up to now.

Ya vs. todavía

Use ya when something has happened or changed.

Use todavía when something continues.

Compare:

• Ya estoy en casa. — I am home now.
• Todavía estoy en el trabajo. — I am still at work.
• Ya sé hablar español un poco. — I can speak some Spanish now.
• Todavía estudio español. — I am still studying Spanish.

Ya no vs. todavía no

These can look similar because both contain a negative, but the meanings are very different.

Ya no

Something was true before, but it has stopped.

• Ya no tomo café. — I do not drink coffee anymore.

This means I drank coffee before.

Todavía no

Something has not happened up to now.

• Todavía no tomo café. — I do not drink coffee yet.

This suggests that the situation may change later.

Another useful comparison:

• Ya no trabaja aquí. — He does not work here anymore.
• Todavía no trabaja aquí. — He does not work here yet.

Ya vs. todavía no with completed actions

These two often appear as opposites.

• ¿Ya has terminado? — Have you finished already?
• Sí, ya he terminado. — Yes, I have already finished.
• No, todavía no he terminado. — No, I have not finished yet.

This pattern is very common in everyday Spanish.

Word position

These adverbs usually appear before the main verb.

• Ya lo sé.
• Todavía trabajo aquí.
• Ya no quiero ir.
• Todavía no entiendo.

With compound tenses, they normally come before the auxiliary verb:

• Ya he comido.
• Todavía no hemos terminado.

You may also see todavía after the verb in some sentences:

• Estoy trabajando todavía.

But placing it before the verb is often the easiest pattern for learners.

Common mistakes

Ya no and todavía no are not the same

• Ya no vivo allí. — I do not live there anymore.
• Todavía no vivo allí. — I do not live there yet.

Use ya no for something that has stopped.

Use todavía no for something that has not happened yet.

Do not translate “still” as ya

• ❌ Ya vivo aquí if you mean “I still live here.”
• ✅ Todavía vivo aquí.

Ya vivo aquí means “I live here now.”

Quick rule

ya → already / now
Ya he comido. — I have already eaten.

todavía → still_Todavía estoy comiendo._ — I am still eating.

ya no → no longer / not anymore
Ya no trabajo aquí. — I do not work here anymore.

todavía no → not yet_Todavía no he terminado._ — I have not finished yet.