Ya, Todavía, and Aún

A small set of time adverbs shows up again and again with the present perfect: ya, todavía, and aún. These words signal that the present moment matters — which is exactly why the present perfect is so often the right tense to use with them.

ya — "already"

Ya means already. It indicates that something has happened by the current moment, earlier than expected or in time for something else. It is the classic companion of the present perfect.

Ya he leído ese libro.

I have already read that book.

Mis amigos ya han llegado al restaurante.

My friends have already arrived at the restaurant.

¿Ya has comido?

Have you eaten already?

Notice how in each case the event is complete and the speaker is pointing out that the completion is "in force" right now. If someone offers you food and you say Ya he comido, you are telling them the eating already happened and its result — you are full — exists in the present.

In Latin America, you will also very often hear the preterite with ya, especially in casual speech: Ya comí (I already ate). Both are correct; the preterite is more colloquial and the present perfect slightly more formal.

todavía — "still" and "not yet"

Todavía has two meanings depending on whether the sentence is affirmative or negative:

  • todavía (affirmative) = still
  • todavía no (negative) = not yet

In the negative form, it pairs beautifully with the present perfect.

Todavía no he terminado la tarea.

I have not yet finished the homework.

Ella todavía no ha llegado.

She has not arrived yet.

Todavía no hemos decidido a qué hora salir.

We haven't yet decided what time to leave.

The meaning is: the action has not happened, but it is still expected to happen at some point. That expectation is what keeps todavía no tied to the present perfect. The speaker is not closing the door on the action; they are leaving it open for the future.

💡
A handy mental shortcut: ya says "it already happened", and todavía no says "it still hasn't happened — but it might." Both points of view anchor the action to the current moment, which is exactly the present perfect's job.

aún — a close synonym of todavía

Aún (with a written accent) means almost exactly the same thing as todavía. It is slightly more literary, but it is used interchangeably in many contexts.

Aún no he visto esa película.

I haven't seen that movie yet.

Mi hermano aún no ha llegado del trabajo.

My brother has not yet come home from work.

Be careful not to confuse aún (still, yet) with aun (even), which is written without an accent and means something different. In the present perfect, you almost always want the accented version.

Contrasting ya and todavía

These two adverbs often appear in opposition — one saying "already done", the other saying "not yet done." Watching them in contrast makes the logic crystal clear.

Affirmative (ya)Negative (todavía no)
Ya he comido.Todavía no he comido.
(I have already eaten.)(I haven't eaten yet.)
Ya hemos visto la película.Todavía no hemos visto la película.
(We have already seen the movie.)(We haven't seen the movie yet.)
Ya han llegado.Todavía no han llegado.
(They have already arrived.)(They haven't arrived yet.)

A small conversation

—¿Ya has probado la comida peruana? —No, todavía no la he probado, pero quiero.

—Have you already tried Peruvian food? —No, I haven't tried it yet, but I want to.

This exchange is a perfect miniature of the present perfect's personality. The question asks whether the experience has been accumulated; the answer reports that it has not — but the door is still open.

A few other adverbs often sit next to the present perfect, though they are less closely tied to it than ya and todavía:

  • nunca (never): Nunca he estado en esa ciudad.
  • siempre (always): Siempre hemos vivido aquí.
  • alguna vez (ever): ¿Has visto alguna vez una ballena?
  • recientemente (recently): Recientemente hemos cambiado de casa.

¿Has visto alguna vez una ballena en el océano?

Have you ever seen a whale in the ocean?

Recientemente han abierto una nueva panadería cerca de mi casa.

Recently they have opened a new bakery near my house.

All of these adverbs reinforce the sense that the action lives in the "accumulated experience" space, which is precisely the present perfect's specialty.

💡
Get in the habit of reaching for ya, todavía, nunca, and alguna vez when you practice the present perfect. They will naturally pull you toward the right tense and make your sentences sound more idiomatic.

Finally, wrap up with regional variation to understand how much the use of the present perfect differs between Spain and Latin America.

Related Topics