redan, ännu, fortfarande, längre | Swedish Grammar

A small cluster of Swedish adverbs covers the same ground that English handles with already, still, yet, and anymore — but Swedish does not line up the words the way English does. The single biggest reason these confuse English speakers is that English uses the same word in different polarities, while Swedish often switches to a different word. English still stays still whether the sentence is positive or negative; Swedish uses fortfarande for positive "still" but längre for the negative "anymore." And English yet and still both feel related to Swedish ännu, yet they split by context. This page untangles redan (already), fortfarande and ännu (still), inte ännu (not yet), and inte längre (not anymore / no longer).

redan — "already"

redan means already. It marks that something has happened sooner than expected, or earlier than the reference point in the conversation. It usually sits in the normal adverb slot — after the finite verb in a main clause.

Hon har redan gått.

She has already left. redan = already — the event happened sooner than you might think.

Är du redan klar? Det gick fort!

Are you already done? That was quick! redan signals 'sooner than expected'.

Klockan är redan tre, vi måste skynda oss.

It's already three o'clock, we have to hurry. (informal)

The crucial thing to lock in: already is redan, never ännu. This is the number-one mix-up, because ännu looks and feels like it should cover the "by now" meaning — but it doesn't (see below).

fortfarande and ännu — "still"

For positive "still" — something that was true before and is still true now — Swedish has two words: fortfarande and ännu. They overlap heavily and are often interchangeable.

Han är fortfarande här.

He is still here. fortfarande = still, the most neutral, everyday choice.

Bor du fortfarande i Göteborg?

Do you still live in Gothenburg? (informal) — fortfarande is the safe default for 'still'.

Det regnar ännu.

It's still raining. ännu here = still, a touch more formal/literary than fortfarande.

The practical rule of thumb: fortfarande is the unmarked, conversational word for "still" — when in doubt, use it. ännu can also mean "still," but it leans slightly more formal or literary in that sense, and it carries a second job (see "not yet" below) that fortfarande does not. There is also a quirk worth flagging honestly: ännu before a comparative means "even" (ännu bättre = "even better"), which is a separate use you'll meet on its own.

Den här är bra, men den där är ännu bättre.

This one is good, but that one is even better. ännu + comparative = 'even' — a different job from 'still'.

inte ännu — "not yet"

Here is where ännu earns its keep. In a negative sentence, ännu means yet: inte ännu (or inte ... ännu) = "not yet." The event is expected to happen but hasn't happened so far.

Jag har inte ätit ännu.

I haven't eaten yet. inte ... ännu = not yet — the meal is expected, just not done.

Tåget har inte kommit ännu.

The train hasn't come yet. The expected event is still pending.

— Är maten klar? — Nej, inte ännu.

— Is the food ready? — No, not yet. inte ännu stands alone as a short answer.

So ännu is genuinely two-faced: in a positive clause it can mean "still" (Det regnar ännu), and in a negative clause it means "yet" (inte ännu = "not yet"). English keeps these apart with two different words (still / yet); Swedish reuses one word and lets the negation do the steering.

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The polarity is the key. Positive clause: ännu / fortfarande = "still." Negative clause: inte ännu = "not yet." Same word ännu, opposite English translation — the inte flips the meaning, not the word.

inte längre — "not anymore / no longer"

English uses still in the positive and anymore (or no longer) in the negative — and crucially, English speakers reach for the "same idea" word and try to negate the "still" word. Swedish does not negate fortfarande. Instead it uses a completely separate word: längre, in the frame inte längre = "not anymore / no longer."

Hon bor inte längre här.

She doesn't live here anymore. inte längre = not anymore — NOT 'inte fortfarande'.

Jag orkar inte längre.

I can't go on anymore / I haven't the energy any longer. (informal)

Vi pratar inte med varandra längre.

We don't talk to each other anymore. längre sits late, after the object.

Note that längre is literally the comparative of lång ("long" → "longer"), and inte längre is, etymologically, "not [for] longer." That image — "no longer in time" — is a useful hook for remembering it. Do not let the spelling mislead you: in inte längre it has nothing to do with physical length; it is purely the "anymore" word.

redan vs ännu — the core contrast

Because both can show up around the idea of "by this point in time," English speakers blur redan and ännu. Keep them apart by their direction in time:

Word	Meaning	Polarity	Example
redan	already	positive	Hon har redan gått. (She's already left.)
fortfarande	still	positive	Hon är fortfarande här. (She's still here.)
ännu	still / yet	positive = still; negative = yet	Det regnar ännu. / Inte ännu. (Still raining. / Not yet.)
inte längre	not anymore / no longer	negative	Hon bor inte längre här. (She doesn't live here anymore.)

redan says the event has happened already (positive, sooner than expected). ännu in a negative says the event has not happened yet (still pending). They are near-opposites, so swapping them produces nonsense to a native ear.

Har du redan köpt biljetterna? — Nej, inte ännu.

Have you already bought the tickets? — No, not yet. redan (already) in the question, inte ännu (not yet) in the answer — a natural pair.

A quick decision guide

"already" → redan
"still" (positive) → fortfarande (everyday) or ännu (more formal)
"not yet" → inte ännu
"not anymore / no longer" → inte längre
"even" (before a comparative) → ännu (ännu bättre) — a separate use

Common Mistakes

❌ Hon har ännu gått. (for 'She has already left.')

Incorrect — ännu is not 'already'. 'Already' is redan.

✅ Hon har redan gått.

She has already left.

❌ Hon bor inte fortfarande här. (for 'She doesn't live here anymore.')

Incorrect — you don't negate fortfarande for 'anymore'. Use inte längre.

✅ Hon bor inte längre här.

She doesn't live here anymore.

❌ Jag har inte ätit redan. (for 'I haven't eaten yet.')

Incorrect — 'not yet' is inte ännu, not 'inte redan'. redan is positive 'already'.

✅ Jag har inte ätit ännu.

I haven't eaten yet.

❌ Är du fortfarande klar? (for 'Are you already done?')

Incorrect — 'already' is redan; fortfarande means 'still', which makes no sense here.

✅ Är du redan klar?

Are you already done?

❌ Vi pratar inte med varandra fortfarande. (for 'We don't talk anymore.')

Incorrect — for the negative 'anymore', use längre: inte ... längre.

✅ Vi pratar inte med varandra längre.

We don't talk to each other anymore.

Key Takeaways

redan = already (positive, "sooner than expected"). Never ännu.
fortfarande = still (everyday); ännu = still (more formal) — both positive.
ännu is two-faced: positive "still," but in a negative clause it means "yet": inte ännu = "not yet."
inte längre = "not anymore / no longer." Swedish switches words for the negative — it does not negate fortfarande.
The polarity does the work: English keeps still the same and changes to anymore; Swedish changes the word (fortfarande → längre) and lets inte flip ännu from "still" to "yet."
Orthography: ännu has ä (in both syllables of pronunciation it's the first vowel that's marked). fortfarande and redan carry no diacritics.

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