Ya or todavía? The English word decides
Ya looks at a change: something has happened (ya he comido) or has stopped (ya no fumo). Todavía looks at a line that has not been crossed: something goes on (todavía vivo aquí) or has not started (todavía no he comido).
Aún, with an accent, means exactly todavía, and the two swap freely: aún vivo aquí, aún no he comido. Aun without the accent means something else; it has its own section below.
| English | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| already | ya | Ya he comido. — I have already eaten. |
| no longer, not anymore | ya no | Ya no vivo aquí. — I don't live here anymore. |
| still | todavía, aún | Todavía vivo aquí. — I still live here. |
| not yet | todavía no, aún no | Todavía no he comido. — I haven't eaten yet. |
| yet, in a question | ya | ¿Ya has comido? — Have you eaten yet? |
Ya no or todavía no?
This is the pair that trips English speakers, because both halves contain no and both can follow the same verb. The question is which way time is moving: ya no looks back at something that ended; todavía no looks ahead to something that has not begun.
The same split works in questions: ¿todavía vives en Madrid? asks whether you still do; ¿ya no vives en Madrid? asks whether you have stopped.
| Ya no (not anymore) | Todavía no (not yet) |
|---|---|
| Ya no tengo coche. — I don't have a car anymore. | Todavía no tengo coche. — I don't have a car yet. |
| Ya no trabaja aquí. — She doesn't work here anymore. | Todavía no trabaja aquí. — She doesn't work here yet. |
| Ya no llueve. — It has stopped raining. | Todavía no llueve. — It isn't raining yet. |
Yet in a question is ya
English uses yet in two places, and Spanish splits them. In a question it is ya: ¿ya has terminado? or ¿has terminado ya? — have you finished yet? In a negative it is todavía no or aún no: todavía no he terminado — I haven't finished yet.
A question with todavía and no is not a plain yet but surprise: ¿todavía no has terminado? — you still haven't finished?
Aún or aun? The accent changes the word
The test is a swap. If todavía fits, write aún: aún no ha llegado means todavía no ha llegado; es aún más caro means es todavía más caro. If incluso, hasta or aunque fits, write aun: aun los expertos means incluso los expertos; aun cansada means aunque estaba cansada.
The academies tie the accent to the sound: aún is said as two syllables, with the stress on the u; aun as one, unstressed. Aun así (even so), aun cuando (even if) and ni aun (not even) are always written without it.
| Written | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aún | still (todavía) | Aún vive con sus padres. — He still lives with his parents. |
| aún no | not yet (todavía no) | Aún no ha llegado. — She hasn't arrived yet. |
| aún más | even more (todavía más) | Es aún más caro. — It is even more expensive. |
| aun | even (incluso, hasta) | Aun los expertos se equivocan. — Even the experts get it wrong. |
| aun | although (aunque) | Aun cansada, salió a correr. — Tired as she was, she went for a run. |
Where do ya and todavía go?
Both are free to move, and the meaning stays: ya he comido and he comido ya; todavía no he comido and no he comido todavía. Before the verb is the more common place; after it sounds a little more emphatic. With todavía at the end, the no stays in front of the verb.
That freedom is why the quiz never asks where they go — only which one the sentence needs.
Why do English speakers mix them up?
Because English splits the meanings differently. Yet becomes ya in a question and todavía in a negative; already and anymore both become ya; still and not yet both become todavía. A learner who maps one English word to one Spanish word gets half the sentences wrong — the slips look like ¿todavía has comido? for have you eaten yet? and todavía no for not anymore.
There is no first-party error rate on this page yet: our mistake tagger counts ser vs estar, por vs para, the tenses and the object pronouns, not adverbs of time. When it does, the number will sit here. Until then the quiz is the measure.
What comes after ya and todavía?
Porque vs por qué is the other place where an accent changes the word, like aún and aun. Preterite vs imperfect is the tense choice that sits next to ya and todavía in most stories about the past, and hay vs está is another small pair English says with one word. The present perfect is the tense that often comes with ya and todavía — ya he comido, todavía no ha llegado — and its irregular participles. The free Spanish level test places you on the A1–C2 scale in five minutes; A2 vs B1 Spanish says what changes after the first levels.