Al, pas, and nog are three tiny words that carry an enormous amount of meaning, and English speakers reach for the wrong one constantly. They are not really about clock time — they are about time relative to expectation: is something happening earlier than you'd expect (al, already), later than you'd expect (pas, only/not until), or still continuing (nog, still/yet)? Once you see them as three positions on an expectation scale rather than three random vocabulary items, the system clicks. This page lays out each one, the al–pas mirror that ties two of them together, and the high-frequency negative combinations (nog niet, niet meer) that cause the most trouble.
Al — already, sooner than expected
Al marks that something has happened (or is happening) earlier than the listener might expect. It is the direct counterpart of English already.
Is hij nu al weg? Hij is hier nog geen tien minuten geweest.
Is he gone already? He's been here less than ten minutes.
Ik heb het eten al gemaakt, je hoeft niks meer te doen.
I've already made dinner, you don't have to do anything.
Het is pas acht uur en de kinderen slapen al.
It's only eight o'clock and the kids are already asleep.
Al also pairs with quantities and durations to mean "as much/long as already": Ik woon hier al tien jaar — "I've been living here for ten years already (and that's a long time)."
We kennen elkaar al meer dan twintig jaar.
We've known each other for over twenty years now.
Pas — only / not until, later than expected
Pas is the mirror image of al. It marks that something happens later, or is smaller in amount, than expected. Its two main English translations are only and not until — and which one surfaces depends on the sentence.
With a point in time, pas = "not until / only … ":
Hij komt pas morgen terug, niet vandaag.
He won't be back until tomorrow, not today.
De film begint pas om negen uur, we hebben nog tijd.
The film doesn't start until nine, we still have time.
With a measured amount (especially a clock reading), pas = "only," meaning "merely this little so far":
Het is pas drie uur, waarom ben je nu al moe?
It's only three o'clock, why are you tired already?
Ze is pas zestien, ze mag nog geen auto rijden.
She's only sixteen, she's not allowed to drive yet.
The unifying idea: pas always says "this is less / later than you'd think." It never means "only" in the sense of "nothing but" — that is a different word (see below).
The al–pas mirror
The cleanest way to fix these two is to see them as opposites on the same axis. Take the neutral statement Het is drie uur (It's three o'clock) and add a stance:
| Word | Sentence | Implied stance |
|---|---|---|
| al | Het is al drie uur. | "already" — later than I realised, time flew |
| (neutral) | Het is drie uur. | just a fact |
| pas | Het is pas drie uur. | "only" — earlier than I'd hoped, lots of time left |
Is het al drie uur? Ik dacht dat het pas één uur was!
Is it three o'clock already? I thought it was only one!
Pas vs alleen — two kinds of "only"
This is the error that even advanced learners make. English "only" covers two ideas that Dutch keeps strictly apart:
- pas = "only" in the sense of time or degree being less/later than expected (only three o'clock, only sixteen, not until tomorrow).
- alleen (or maar, slechts) = "only" in the sense of nothing but / no more than this quantity or set (only two euros, only Anna came).
Ik heb maar/alleen twee euro bij me.
I've only got two euros on me. (quantity → alleen/maar, not pas)
Alleen Anna is gekomen, de rest had geen tijd.
Only Anna came, the others didn't have time. (restriction → alleen)
Het is pas twee uur, we hoeven nog niet weg.
It's only two o'clock, we don't have to leave yet. (time → pas)
If you can rephrase "only" as "nothing but" or "no more than," use alleen/maar. If you mean "merely this far along / this little time," use pas.
Nog — still / yet, the situation continues
Nog says a situation is still going on (or has yet to change). On its own it is "still"; combined with negation and other particles it builds a whole family of meanings.
Ben je er nog? Ik dacht dat je al opgehangen had.
Are you still there? I thought you'd already hung up.
We hebben nog een uur, geen haast.
We've still got an hour, no rush.
The key combinations:
| Form | Meaning | English |
|---|---|---|
| nog | situation continues | still |
| nog niet | continues to not-yet-happen | not yet |
| nog steeds | still (emphatic, "even now") | still |
| niet meer | situation has ended | not anymore / no longer |
| nog even | a little while longer | (stay/wait) a bit |
| nog een | one more | another |
Ik ben nog niet klaar, geef me nog vijf minuten.
I'm not ready yet, give me five more minutes.
Woon je daar nog steeds? Ik dacht dat je verhuisd was.
Do you still live there? I thought you'd moved.
Sorry, ik rook niet meer; ik ben vorig jaar gestopt.
Sorry, I don't smoke anymore; I quit last year.
Wil je nog een biertje, of moeten we langzaam naar huis?
Do you want another beer, or should we slowly head home?
nog niet vs niet meer — the make-or-break pair
These two are perfect opposites and English speakers swap them. Nog niet = "not yet" (it hasn't started, but it still might). Niet meer = "not anymore" (it happened before, but it has stopped). The mental picture: nog niet points at a future change; niet meer points at a past ending.
— Slaapt de baby al? — Nee, nog niet, maar bijna.
— Is the baby asleep yet? — No, not yet, but almost.
Vroeger at ik vlees, maar dat doe ik niet meer.
I used to eat meat, but I don't anymore.
Getting these backwards genuinely flips the meaning — saying niet meer when you mean nog niet tells someone you have stopped doing something you were actually about to start.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik heb pas twee euro bij me.
Incorrect — this is a quantity ('only two'), so it needs 'alleen' or 'maar', not the time-word 'pas'.
✅ Ik heb maar twee euro bij me.
I've only got two euros on me.
❌ De winkel gaat alleen om negen uur open.
Incorrect — 'not until nine' is a time relation, so it's 'pas', not 'alleen' (which would mean 'nothing but nine').
✅ De winkel gaat pas om negen uur open.
The shop doesn't open until nine.
❌ De baby slaapt niet meer — wacht nog even.
Incorrect if you mean 'not yet'; 'niet meer' means 'no longer'. Use 'nog niet'.
✅ De baby slaapt nog niet — wacht nog even.
The baby isn't asleep yet — wait a little longer.
❌ Het is pas al laat, we moeten gaan.
Incorrect — you can't combine 'pas' (earlier than expected) and 'al' (later than expected); they contradict. For 'already late' use 'al'.
✅ Het is al laat, we moeten gaan.
It's already late, we have to go.
❌ Woon je daar nog niet? Ik dacht dat je was verhuisd.
Incorrect if you mean 'still' — 'nog niet' is 'not yet'. For 'still living there' use 'nog' / 'nog steeds'.
✅ Woon je daar nog steeds? Ik dacht dat je was verhuisd.
Do you still live there? I thought you'd moved.
Key Takeaways
- The triad is about expectation, not the clock: al = sooner than expected (already), pas = later/less than expected (only, not until), nog = situation continues (still/yet).
- The al–pas mirror: the same moment takes al if "time flew" and pas if "so little time has passed."
- Pas is "only" in time/degree; alleen / maar is "only" in quantity or restriction ("nothing but").
- The nog family: nog niet (not yet, change still coming) vs niet meer (no longer, change already happened) — opposites you must not swap.
- Nog steeds is emphatic "still (even now)"; nog een is "another (one more)."
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