Log inSign up

kotosi ha mada ryokou ni itte imasen.

今年ことし　は　まだ　旅行りょこう　に　行いって　いません。kotosi ha mada ryokou ni itte imasen.
I haven't traveled yet this year.
FromLesson 19inHardcore Japanese
……

Questions & Answers about kotosi ha mada ryokou ni itte imasen.

Why is は used after 今年 instead of が?
は marks the topic of the sentence and often carries a sense of contrast or emphasis. Here, 今年は (“as for this year”) sets “this year” as the frame for what follows (“I haven’t traveled yet”). If you used 今年が, you’d be marking “this year” as the grammatical subject, which would sound odd because you’re not describing a property of “this year” but rather situating your action (or lack thereof) in time.
What does まだ mean, and why is it placed before the verb?

まだ means “still” or “yet” when used with negatives. In Japanese negative sentences, まだ goes directly before the verb (or adjective) to indicate that the action has not happened up to the present moment.
Example:

  • もう行きましたか？ (Have you already gone?)
  • いいえ、まだ行っていません。 (No, I haven’t gone yet.)
Why is the verb in the て-form + いません (行っていません) instead of just 行きません?

行っていません is the negative progressive/perfect form, implying “have not gone (yet)”—it describes a current state resulting from a past action that hasn’t occurred.
行きません is the simple negative present, meaning “will not go” or “do not go” in a habitual sense. It doesn’t convey “yet.”
So:

  • 今年はまだ旅行に行っていません。 (I haven’t gone on a trip yet this year.)
  • 今年は旅行に行きません。 (I won’t go on a trip this year.)
What role does the particle に play in 旅行に行く?
In 旅行に行く, に marks the destination or purpose of motion. It answers the question “to where/for what are you going?” Here, “to a trip” or “for a trip.” Without に, you’d lose the link between 旅行 (“trip”) and 行く (“go”).
Why not use the past negative form 行きませんでした to say “I haven’t traveled yet this year”?

行きませんでした is the simple past negative: “did not go.” It only refers to a completed period in the past without connecting to the present.
To express “so far this year, up until now, I still haven’t gone,” you need the present perfect sense, which in Japanese is conveyed by て-form + いません. Saying 今年はまだ旅行に行きませんでした would read more like “I did not go on a trip (at some specific past time),” not “I have not gone yet (and still might).”

More from this lesson

gozentyuugozentyuu ha isogasii desu.siryouinsatusurukyou ha kazoku no syasin wo insatusimasita.gozentyuu ni kaigi no siryou wo insatusimasu.senmonkasono siryou ha senmonka ni mo misemasu.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Japanese

Master Japanese — from kotosi ha mada ryokou ni itte imasen to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Japanese freeBrowse the full course