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Questions & Answers about Ela ainda não chegou.
What verb tense is chegou, and why is it used for this meaning?
- Chegou is third-person singular of the Portuguese simple past (pretérito perfeito).
- In Brazilian Portuguese, to say “hasn’t arrived yet,” you typically use ainda não + pretérito perfeito: (Ela) ainda não chegou.
- Don’t use the Portuguese present perfect (tem chegado) here; in Portuguese it means “has been arriving” (repeatedly), not “has arrived.”
Where do I put ainda and não? Is não ainda possible?
- Natural options:
- Ela ainda não chegou.
- Ela não chegou ainda.
- Avoid: Ela não ainda chegou (unnatural).
- The two natural orders mean the same; the first slightly foregrounds “yet.”
Can I drop the subject pronoun ela?
- Yes. Portuguese allows null subjects: Ainda não chegou is fine if context makes the subject clear.
- Without context, it could mean “he/she/it/you (formal) hasn’t arrived.”
How do I express the opposite idea (“already”)?
- Use já:
- Statement: Ela já chegou.
- Question: Ela já chegou? (“Has she arrived yet/already?”)
- Don’t use ainda in questions to mean “yet”; prefer já.
Is Ela chegou? different from Ela já chegou?
- Ela chegou? is a neutral “Did she arrive?/Has she arrived?”
- Ela já chegou? specifically asks about “yet/already,” implying expectation.
Does ainda mean both “still” and “yet”? How do I say “anymore/no longer”?
- Ainda:
- Positive: “still” (e.g., Ela ainda está no trabalho.)
- With não: “yet” (e.g., Ela ainda não chegou.)
- “Anymore/no longer”: não … mais
- Ela não vem mais. = She doesn’t come anymore.
Does chegou agree with feminine ela? What changes with plural?
- Verbs don’t change for gender. Ele/Ela chegou use the same form.
- Plural changes the ending:
- Eles/Elas ainda não chegaram.
- Nós ainda não chegamos.
Pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?
- Ela: “EH-lah”
- ainda: “ah-EEN-dah,” with a slight nasal feel on “in”
- não: like “now,” but nasalized on ão
- chegou: “sheh-GOH” (ch = “sh”; final ou like English “oh” with a glide)
Can I use vir instead of chegar?
- Yes. Ela ainda não veio = “She hasn’t come yet,” focusing on movement toward the speaker.
- Chegar emphasizes arrival at a place. In many contexts, both are acceptable.
If I add a destination, do I say chegar a or chegar em?
- In Brazil, everyday speech prefers chegar em: Ela ainda não chegou em casa.
- More formal/standard: chegar a (with contractions): chegar ao aeroporto, chegar à escola.
- Both are widely understood in Brazil.
Is Ela ainda não chegou? a normal question? What does it imply?
- Yes. It’s a question showing surprise/disbelief: “She hasn’t arrived yet?”
- Neutral yes/no questions usually use já: Ela já chegou?
Why not chegada or chega here?
- Chegada is a noun (“arrival”), not a verb.
- Chega is present tense (“arrives”/“is enough”). For “hasn’t arrived yet,” use ainda não chegou.
Can ela mean “it” in this sentence?
- Yes. Portuguese uses gendered pronouns for things. With a feminine noun (e.g., a encomenda “the package”), Ela ainda não chegou = “It hasn’t arrived yet.”
How do I express this relative to a past moment (past perfect)?
- Use tinha/havia + participle:
- Quando saí, ela ainda não tinha/havia chegado. = When I left, she still hadn’t arrived.
Is Ela não chegou acceptable for “She hasn’t arrived”?
- Yes, in context many speakers use Ela não chegou to mean “She hasn’t arrived (yet).”
- Adding ainda makes the “yet” explicit and avoids ambiguity.
Common mistakes to avoid with this pattern?
- Ela não ainda chegou (wrong word order).
- Ela ainda não tem chegado for a single event (Portuguese present perfect implies repeated/ongoing action).
- Using mais instead of ainda for “yet” (that means “anymore”: não … mais).