These three little words break English speakers because English doesn't bundle "time" and "expectation" into single words the way Dutch does. Al, pas, and nog aren't really about clock time — they're about how an event sits relative to what you'd expect: is it sooner than expected (al, already), later than expected (pas, only / not until), or still going on (nog, still / yet)? This is a focused decision page: one question to ask, the three answers, the al–pas mirror, and the trap where pas gets confused with alleen. For the full grammar — word order, nog niet vs niet meer, durations — see the companion page Al, Pas, Nog.
The one question
Before reaching for any of the three, ask: is the event sooner than expected, later than expected, or still ongoing?
| Situation | Word | English |
|---|---|---|
| sooner / more than expected | al | already |
| later / less than expected | pas | only, not until |
| still going on / not yet | nog | still, yet |
Al — already, sooner than expected
Al signals that something has happened earlier than the listener would expect. It is English already, and it carries a faint note of surprise.
Hij is al weg, terwijl het feest net begonnen is.
He's already left, even though the party just started. — earlier than expected; al.
Ben je nu al klaar? Dat ging snel.
Are you done already? That was quick. — surprise at how soon; al.
Pas — only / not until, later than expected
Pas is the mirror of al: it marks that something happens later, or amounts to less, than expected. With a point in time it means not until; with a measured amount (like a clock reading or an age) it means only ("merely this much so far").
Hij komt pas morgen, dus we hebben nog tijd.
He's not coming until tomorrow, so we still have time. — later than expected; pas.
Het is pas drie uur en ik ben nu al moe.
It's only three o'clock and I'm already tired. — only this little time has passed; pas (and note 'al' for the unexpectedly early tiredness).
That second example squeezes two of the three words into one natural sentence — pas for the unexpectedly early hour, al for the unexpectedly early tiredness. Re-read it: the contrast is the whole point of the pair.
Nog — still / yet, the situation continues
Nog says the situation is still going on (or, in the negative, hasn't started yet). It's English still / yet — a marker of continuation rather than of early or late.
Ben je er nog? Ik dacht dat je opgehangen had.
Are you still there? I thought you'd hung up. — the situation continues; nog.
Ze slaapt nog, maak haar nog niet wakker.
She's still asleep, don't wake her yet. — 'nog' (still) and 'nog niet' (not yet).
The negative nog niet ("not yet") is the partner of al: al says "it has happened (early)," nog niet says "it hasn't happened (yet, but it's expected to)."
Is het eten al klaar? — Nee, nog niet, geef me vijf minuten.
Is dinner ready already? — No, not yet, give me five minutes. — 'al' in the question, 'nog niet' in the answer.
The al–pas mirror
The fastest way to lock al and pas in place is to treat them as opposites on one axis. Take a neutral statement and add a stance:
| Statement |
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Het is drie uur. | Het is al drie uur. — "It's three already!" (time flew) | Het is pas drie uur. — "It's only three." (time is dragging) |
| Hij komt om acht uur. | Komt hij nu al om acht? (earlier than usual) | Hij komt pas om acht. (not until eight) |
Same clock reading, opposite stance: al leans "sooner/more than I'd think," pas leans "later/less than I'd think." If you ever blank on which is which, ask whether you're pleasantly/anxiously surprised it's so far along (al) or noting it's barely begun (pas).
We zijn er al! Dat was een korte reis.
We're there already! That was a short trip. — sooner than expected; al.
The pas-vs-alleen trap
The biggest pas error isn't the al/pas direction — it's confusing pas with alleen. Both can be translated "only" in English, but they cover different "onlys":
- pas = "only" in the sense of time or amount — "not until / merely this far": Het is pas drie uur, Hij is pas zestien.
- alleen = "only" in the sense of nothing but / restriction: Ik heb alleen water ("I only have water" — nothing else).
Ik heb alleen water, geen frisdrank.
I only have water, no soft drinks. — restriction ('nothing but'); this is alleen, never pas.
Hij is pas net aangekomen, geef hem even.
He's only just arrived, give him a moment. — 'only' in the time sense; pas.
If the "only" means nothing else / no more than this set of things, it's alleen. If it means not until / this little time-or-amount so far, it's pas. They are not interchangeable.
Common Mistakes
❌ Ik heb pas water, geen cola.
Incorrect — 'only water' here means 'nothing but water' (restriction), which is alleen, not pas.
✅ Ik heb alleen water, geen cola.
I only have water, no cola.
❌ Het is al drie uur, waarom ben je nu al moe?
Incorrect for 'it's only three' — to say the time is unexpectedly early you need pas, not al (al would mean 'as late as three already').
✅ Het is pas drie uur, waarom ben je nu al moe?
It's only three o'clock, why are you tired already?
❌ Hij komt al morgen terug, niet vandaag.
Incorrect for 'not until tomorrow' — that's later than today, so pas; al would mean 'as soon as tomorrow'.
✅ Hij komt pas morgen terug, niet vandaag.
He's not coming back until tomorrow, not today.
❌ Het eten is niet meer klaar, geef me vijf minuten.
Incorrect — 'not yet ready' (it will be) is nog niet; 'niet meer' means 'no longer', the opposite.
✅ Het eten is nog niet klaar, geef me vijf minuten.
Dinner isn't ready yet, give me five minutes.
❌ Slaapt ze pas? Maak haar wakker.
Incorrect for 'is she still asleep?' — continuation is nog, not pas.
✅ Slaapt ze nog? Maak haar wakker.
Is she still asleep? Wake her up.
Key Takeaways
- One axis, three positions: al = sooner/more than expected (already), pas = later/less than expected (only / not until), nog = still ongoing (still / yet).
- al and pas are mirrors on the same clock: Het is al drie uur (time flew) vs Het is pas drie uur (barely begun).
- nog = continuation; its negative nog niet ("not yet") answers a question with al.
- Don't confuse pas ("only" = time/amount) with alleen ("only" = nothing but).
- Don't confuse nog niet ("not yet") with niet meer ("no longer") — opposite directions.
Now practice Dutch
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Start learning Dutch→Related Topics
- Al, Pas, Nog: Already, Only, StillB1 — The famous Dutch triad for talking about time relative to expectation: al (already, earlier than expected), pas (only / not until, later than expected), and nog (still / yet, the situation continues). Covers the al–pas mirror, pas vs alleen (only-in-time vs only-in-quantity), and the nog niet / niet meer / nog steeds family — the exact words English speakers most often get wrong.
- Weten vs Kennen: Two Ways to KnowA2 — English has one verb 'to know'; Dutch splits it in two. Weten is for facts and information (it pairs with a clause: 'Ik weet dat...'); kennen is for acquaintance with a person, place, or thing (it pairs with a noun: 'Ik ken hem'). This page gives the one decision rule, contrasts the two with minimal pairs, and clears up the errors English speakers make most.
- Verb Reference: How to Use These TablesA2 — A guide to reading the verb-reference pages: what each conjugation table shows (present, simple past, perfect with its auxiliary, participle), how strong/weak/mixed verbs are labelled, why the auxiliary is flagged, and which verbs to master first.