This lesson explains how to express timing of actions using the Spanish adverbs ya (already), todavía (still), and todavía no (not yet), with examples like "Ya fuimos al zoológico" and "Todavía no he visto al león" to help you master these common expressions.
- Ya indicates that something happened or is done.
- Todavía indicates that something is still happening.
- Todavía no indicates that something has not happened yet.
| Forma (Form) | Uso (Use) | Ejemplo (Example) |
|---|---|---|
| Ya | Acción completada (Completed action) | Ya fuimos al zoológico. (We have already been to the zoo.) |
| Todavía | Acción continua (Continuous action) | Todavía vemos animales salvajes. (We still see wild animals.) |
| Todavía no | Acción no ocurrida (Action not occurred) | Todavía no he visto al león. (I still haven't seen the lion.) |
| Ya + pretérito perfecto | Hecho reciente (Recent event) | Ya hemos descrito la flora. (We have already described the flora.) |
Exercise 1: Uso de ya, todavía y todavía no
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Todavía no, Ya, todavía, ya, Todavía
1.
Acción no ocurrida:
: ¿... fuiste al parque con tu familia?
(Haven't you gone to the park with your family yet?)
2.
Acción continua:
: ... vemos jirafas en esa región.
(We still see giraffes in that region.)
3.
Acción completada:
: ¿... admiraste la fauna del zoológico?
(Have you already admired the zoo's wildlife?)
4.
Hecho reciente:
: El guía ... ha explicado todas las especies
(The guide has already explained all the species)
5.
Acción completada:
: ¿... has visto el león en la selva?
(Have you already seen the lion in the jungle?)
6.
Acción continua:
: No, ... estoy admirando al elefante.
(No, I am still admiring the elephant.)
7.
Acción completada:
: Mi hermano ... describió el paisaje africano.
(My brother has already described the African landscape.)
8.
Hecho receinte:
: Los niños ... se han alejado del desierto.
(The children have already moved away from the desert.)
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that properly uses 'ya', 'todavía' or 'todavía no' to express the timing of an action.
1.
Incorrect here because we express an action that has already finished, not one that has not happened yet.
'Todavía' indicates a continuous action, but 'buying the tickets' is a punctual action already finished; therefore, this sentence is incorrect.
2.
This sentence indicates that nothing has been seen yet, which does not match the idea of a continuous action.
'Ya' indicates a completed action, not one that is still happening.
3.
'Todavía' indicates continuous action, but the sentence talks about a punctual visiting action that already happened.
'Ya no' indicates that something stopped being done, not that it hasn't been done yet.
4.
'Todavía' is not appropriate with simple past tense to express continuous action; the sentence is incorrect.
Incorrect form of 'todavía no' in past tense; it should be 'Todavía no hemos comido...' to express an action that has not happened yet.
