If ya, todavía, and aún keep collapsing into "yet," stop translating the English word first. Ask whether the situation has changed, is still continuing, or has not happened yet.
The direct answer: use ya when something has already changed or happened, todavía or aún when something is still true, todavía no or aún no when something has not happened yet, and ya no when something is no longer true.
Why English "yet" causes the mistake
English uses "yet" in different jobs: "Are you home yet?", "I haven't eaten yet," and "the best one yet" do not point to the same Spanish pattern. Spanish is stricter about the direction of change. Ya looks at the moment after a change. Todavía and aún look at a situation that continues.
That is why ¿Ya estás cansado? and ¿Todavía estás cansado? are not the same question. The first asks whether tiredness has arrived already. The second asks whether tiredness is still there.
The time-change decision table
| What you mean | Use | Example | Plain-English check |
|---|---|---|---|
| It happened already | ya | Ya comí. | The change is complete. |
| It is still true | todavía / aún | Todavía tengo hambre. | The old state continues. |
| It has not happened yet | todavía no / aún no | Todavía no he comido. | The expected change has not arrived. |
| It is not true anymore | ya no | Ya no vivo allí. | The old state ended. |
| Even, including, despite | aun without accent | Aun así, fui. | This is not "still" or "yet." |
The four checks that prevent most errors
1. If the change has happened, start with ya
Use ya when the answer is "the change is now true": Ya llegué, Ya entiendo, Ya está listo. In a question, ¿Ya llegaste? usually means "Have you arrived yet?" or "Are you there already?"
2. If the same state continues, use todavía or aún
Use todavía or aún when nothing has changed yet: Todavía estoy trabajando, Aún vivo aquí, Todavía tengo tiempo. For everyday learner writing, todavía is a safe default; aún is also correct when it means todavía.
3. If the expected event has not happened, use todavía no
This is the pattern learners need for "not yet": Todavía no he terminado, Aún no sé, Todavía no ha llegado. Do not write ya no he terminado when you mean "I haven't finished yet"; that sounds like the old situation has ended.
4. If the old state ended, use ya no
Ya no means "no longer" or "not anymore": Ya no trabajo allí, Ya no uso esa app, Ya no tengo hambre. This pairs well with time expressions from the hace vs desde hace loop, because both force you to name whether a state is still true now.
A 12-minute typing loop
1. Write eight real prompts
Use messages you might actually send: "Are you home yet?", "I still have work," "I haven't eaten yet," "I don't live there anymore," "I already understand."
2. Label the time job
Before translating, mark each prompt as changed, continuing, not yet, no longer, or even. This label chooses the Spanish word.
3. Type the Spanish frame first
- changed: ya ___
- continuing: todavía/aún ___
- not yet: todavía no/aún no ___
- no longer: ya no ___
- even: aun ___
4. Hide the table and rebuild
Retype each sentence from memory. Check only the time-change word first, then repair tense, accent marks, or word order. If accent marks slow you down, pair this with the Spanish accent marks typing loop.
5. Keep only the misses tomorrow
The goal is not to memorize a chart. The goal is to make ya, todavía no, and ya no automatic in the kinds of messages you actually type. Use the same recall-first style from the muy vs mucho typing loop and the 30-day Spanish typing plan.
Quick message examples
| English thought | Spanish sentence | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Are you home yet? | ¿Ya estás en casa? | You are asking whether arrival has happened. |
| Are you still at work? | ¿Todavía estás en el trabajo? | You are asking whether the old state continues. |
| I still have not eaten. | Todavía no he comido. | The expected meal has not happened. |
| I do not live there anymore. | Ya no vivo allí. | The old state ended. |
FAQ
What is the difference between ya and todavía?
Ya points to a change that has happened or is now true. Todavía points to a state that continues from before.
How do you say "not yet" in Spanish?
Use todavía no or aún no: Todavía no he terminado, Aún no sé. For everyday writing, todavía no is the safest default.
When does "yet" translate as ya?
In affirmative questions about whether a change has happened, "yet" often maps to ya: ¿Ya llegamos?, ¿Ya comiste?. In negative sentences, "not yet" usually maps to todavía no or aún no.
What is the difference between aún and aun?
Aún has an accent when it can mean todavía, as in Aún estoy aquí. Aun has no accent when it means "even," "including," or "despite," as in Aun así.
Bottom line
Do not ask, "What is the Spanish word for yet?" Ask what changed. Changed already: ya. Still continuing: todavía or aún. Not changed yet: todavía no or aún no. Old state ended: ya no.
Evidence notes
- Current learner demand: a March 2025 r/learnspanish thread asked whether "Are you tired yet?" should use ya or todavía, with learners focusing on the difference between change and continuation: Are you tired yet?
- Current learner demand: a January 2026 r/Spanish thread about "I still haven't..." centered on todavía no, aún no, and why English "yet" does not map one-to-one: I still haven't...
- Grammar support: RAE's Nueva gramática treats todavía, aún, and ya as phase adverbs, with todavía showing persistence and ya showing a situation that was not true in a recent prior phase: RAE: adverbios de aspecto.
- Accent support: RAE's orthography guide says aún takes an accent when it can be replaced by todavía, while aun without the accent is used for meanings like "even" or "including": RAE: tilde en aún/aun.
- Practice rationale: a systematic review in Educational Psychology Review summarizes evidence that retrieval practice supports long-term learning better than simply reviewing material: Agarwal, Nunes, and Blunt (2021).