Persian هنوز نه means “not yet,” while دیگر نه means “no longer / not anymore.” They point in opposite directions: هنوز نه says an expected change has not happened up to the reference time; دیگر نه says something that used to hold has stopped holding.
As short answers, both expressions can stand alone. In a full clause, Persian normally places هنوز or دیگر before a verb that carries ordinary negation: هنوز نرسیدهام “I have not arrived yet,” دیگر آنجا کار نمیکنم “I no longer work there.” English speakers must not translate not as a separate نه inside these full finite clauses.
Opposite views of a change
| Expression | State before the reference time | State at the reference time | Expectation |
|---|---|---|---|
| هنوز نه | the event has not occurred | still not true | it may or is expected to become true later |
| دیگر نه | the state or habit held before | not true now | the earlier phase has ended |
— آمادهای راه بیفتیم؟ — هنوز نه؛ پنج دقیقه وقت میخواهم.
— âmâde-i râh bioftim? — hanuz na; panj daqiqe vaqt mi-khâham.
— Are you ready to leave? — Not yet; I need five minutes. (neutral conversation; short answer)
— هنوز آخر هفتهها در رستوران کار میکنی؟ — دیگر نه؛ ماه پیش استعفا دادم.
— hanuz âkhar-e hafte-hâ dar restorân kâr mi-koni? — digar na; mâh-e pish este'fâ dâdam.
— Do you still work at the restaurant on weekends? — Not anymore; I resigned last month. (careful spoken standard; short answer)
The first answer leaves becoming ready open. The second presupposes an earlier restaurant job and announces its end. These background assumptions are central meanings, not optional conversational decoration.
هنوز with a negative perfect: “not yet”
For an event expected by now, the present perfect is especially natural: هنوز + negative past participle + present copula. It surveys the interval up to the present and says the event is absent from that interval.
هنوز نتیجهی آزمایش را برایم نفرستادهاند.
hanuz natije-ye âzmâyesh râ barâ-yam na-ferestâde-and.
They have not sent me the test result yet. (neutral standard; expected event up to now)
قطار هنوز وارد ایستگاه نشده است.
qatâr hanuz vâred-e istgâh na-shode ast.
The train has not entered the station yet. (formal-neutral announcement)
هنوز تصمیم نگرفتهام کدام پیشنهاد را قبول کنم.
hanuz tasmim na-gerefte-am kodâm pishnehâd râ qabul konam.
I have not yet decided which offer to accept. (neutral standard; unresolved decision)
Negation belongs inside the participle: نفرستادهاند، نشده است، نگرفتهام. هنوز does not itself make the verb negative. The page on Present Perfect Uses explains why this tense connects a past interval with the present.
In everyday Tehran speech (informal, regional: Tehran), the third-singular perfect often contracts: هنوز نیومده for standard هنوز نیامده است. The meaning remains “has not come yet”; only the spoken realization changes.
هنوز with a negative state: “still not”
When the predicate describes a current state rather than a completed event, Persian uses a negative present or the negative copula. English may translate the result as either not yet or still not, depending on how strongly the context presents an expected transition.
اتاق هنوز آماده نیست؛ ده دقیقهی دیگر برگردید.
otâq hanuz âmâde nist; dah daqiqe-ye digar bar-gardid.
The room is not ready yet; come back in ten minutes. (polite neutral standard)
سامانه هنوز درست کار نمیکند.
sâmâne hanuz dorost kâr nemi-konad.
The system is still not working properly. (formal-neutral; continuing negative state)
The room example encourages a future change, so “not yet” is natural. The system example may express impatience without promising any repair. هنوز says only that the present state continues; expectation comes from context and world knowledge.
Positive هنوز means “still”: او هنوز اینجا کار میکند “she still works here.” Therefore the contrast is not هنوز versus negation. It is هنوز + positive predicate for continuation of a positive state, and هنوز + negative predicate for continuation of a negative state.
دیگر plus negation: “no longer”
Temporal دیگر combines with a negative present or imperfective for an ended state or habit. The earlier positive phase is normally recoverable from context.
بعد از اسبابکشی دیگر همسایهی هم نیستیم.
ba'd az asbâb-keshi digar hamsâye-ye ham nistim.
After the move, we are no longer neighbors. (neutral standard; ended state)
پدرم دیگر شبها قهوه نمینوشد.
pedar-am digar shab-hâ qahve nemi-nushad.
My father no longer drinks coffee at night. (neutral standard; ended habit)
این دستگاه قدیمی دیگر روشن نمیشود.
in dastgâh-e qadimi digar rowshan nemi-shavad.
This old device no longer turns on. (neutral standard; lost capability)
The negative verb is essential. دیگر alone can mean “other/another” or serve other discourse functions; it is the combination دیگر + negative predicate that regularly expresses cessation. Compare adjectival یک روز دیگر “another day,” where no negative meaning exists.
Past reference times
Both expressions can be anchored in the past. For “not yet” before another past event, use a negative past perfect. For an activity that ceased after a past boundary, a negative simple past or past imperfective is chosen according to aspect.
وقتی جلسه شروع شد، مدیر هنوز نرسیده بود.
vaqti jalase shoru' shod, modir hanuz na-reside bud.
When the meeting began, the manager had not arrived yet. (neutral narrative; past reference point)
پس از آن بحث، دیگر با هم صحبت نکردند.
pas az ân bahs, digar bâ ham sohbat na-kardand.
After that argument, they did not speak to each other again. (neutral narrative; no recurrence after a boundary)
In the second example, English naturally prefers “did not … again.” With a bounded action such as one phone call or visit, Persian دیگر + simple past negative often means that the action never recurred after the stated point. With a state or habit, دیگر + present negative yields the clearer “no longer.”
Formal دیگر and colloquial دیگه
Standard speech and writing use دیگر. Everyday Tehran Persian (informal, regional: Tehran) normally says دیگه:
من دیگه با اون برنامه کار نمیکنم.
man dige bâ un barnâme kâr nemi-konam.
I don’t use that program anymore. (informal, regional: Tehran)
This target intentionally represents colloquial wording: دیگه، اون. In edited or formal prose, write من دیگر با آن برنامه کار نمیکنم. The contrast is one of register, not truth conditions.
Choosing the construction
Ask two questions:
- Is the relevant change still pending at the reference time? Use هنوز + negative predicate, often a perfect: هنوز نرسیده است.
- Did a previously true state or recurring activity end? Use دیگر + negative predicate: دیگر نمیآید.
The expressions can describe the same person at different stages. لیلا هنوز رانندگی نمیکند means Leila has not reached a driving stage or is still not driving. لیلا دیگر رانندگی نمیکند means she used to drive and has stopped.
آرمان هنوز تنها سفر نمیکند، اما خواهرش دیگر با تور سفر نمیکند.
Ârmân hanuz tanhâ safar nemi-konad, ammâ khâhar-ash digar bâ tur safar nemi-konad.
Arman still does not travel alone, but his sister no longer travels with tours. (neutral standard; continuing negative state versus ended habit)
Common Mistakes
1. Inserting separate نه inside a full finite clause
❌ من هنوز نه گزارش را فرستادهام.
Incorrect — in a full clause, ‘not yet’ uses هنوز plus negation on the verb.
✅ من هنوز نسخهی نهایی گزارش را نفرستادهام.
man hanuz noskhe-ye nehâyi-ye gozâresh râ na-ferestâde-am.
I have not sent the final version of the report yet.
2. Leaving the verb positive after دیگر
❌ او دیگر در این ساختمان زندگی میکند.
Incorrect for the intended ‘she no longer lives’ — temporal cessation requires a negative predicate.
✅ او دیگر در این محله زندگی نمیکند.
u digar dar in mahalle zendegi nemi-konad.
She no longer lives in this neighborhood.
3. Putting verbal negation after می
❌ ما دیگر به آن فروشگاه مینرویم.
Incorrect prefix order — the negative imperfective is نمیرویم.
✅ ما دیگر از آن فروشگاه خرید نمیکنیم.
mâ digar az ân forushgâh kharid nemi-konim.
We no longer shop at that store.
4. Using a present perfect for a completed past reference point
❌ وقتی دیشب به خانه رسیدیم، مهمانها هنوز نرسیدهاند.
Incorrect in this completed past narrative — the guests' non-arrival precedes a past reference point, so use the past perfect.
✅ وقتی دیشب به خانه رسیدیم، مهمانها هنوز نرسیده بودند.
vaqti dishab be khâne residim, mehmân-hâ hanuz na-reside budand.
When we got home last night, the guests had not arrived yet.
Key Takeaways
- هنوز نه leaves an expected change pending; دیگر نه ends a previously true state or habit.
- In full clauses, use هنوز or دیگر with an ordinarily negated verb, not a separate English-style نه.
- Present perfect naturally expresses an event that has not happened yet; present negation expresses a current negative state.
- Past perfect moves “not yet” to a past reference point.
- دیگه is everyday Tehran speech; دیگر is the standard form across neutral and formal writing.
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