Español en serio
Todavía no vs. ya no: understanding the difference in Spanish
Dieser Beitrag erklärt ein wichtiges Thema der spanischen Grammatik (Text auf Englisch).
To do or not to do
If you ask me if I have finished the book I was reading, I can say todavía no (not yet). The action is in progress.
If you ask me if I continue practising French every day, I can say ya no (not anymore). The action has stopped.
It’s all about expectations
👉 Todavía no implies an open state and presents an action as not completed yet, but still expected. There is an expectation that the action will happen at some point:
Todavía no he empezado a preparar la cena. I haven’t started preparing dinner yet.
👉 Ya no implies a closed state and it is used to say that an action or situation does not happen anymore. It presents an action as finished for good, marking a change of state.
Antes tenía hambre; ahora ya no. Before, I was hungry; now I’m not anymore.
Example from the episode
This is the dialogue in our novel:
—Y todavía no puedo quedarme quieta —responde ella.
—Entonces… ¿tengo que elegir ya?
Read the full episode here →
Episode 15
Bachelor’s degree in Literature (University of Buenos Aires). Spanish and Literature teacher. Researcher and author of Los premios Nobel de literatura. Una lectura crítica (University of Seville). More than 30 years’ experience teaching Spanish to international students.
One-to-one lessons via Zoom.
Contact: laura@spanishforlondon.com
Abschluss in Literaturwissenschaft (Universität Buenos Aires). Lehrerin für Spanisch und Literatur. Forscherin und Autorin des Buches Los premios Nobel de literatura. Eine lectura crítica (Universität Sevilla). Über 30 Jahre Erfahrung im Unterricht von Spanisch als Fremdsprache.
Einzelunterricht über Zoom.
Kontakt: laura@spanishforlondon.com
