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Mi abuelo ya no trabaja.

Mi abuelo ya no trabaja.
My grandfather no longer works.
From Lesson 124:No longer and still (ya no, todavía)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Mi abuelo ya no trabaja.

Why do we use ya no here instead of just no?
Ya usually means "already", but when you put it right before no, the phrase ya no means "no longer" or "not anymore". If we just said no trabaja, it would simply mean "he doesn't work". Adding ya shows that he used to work in the past, but the situation has changed.
Could I put ya no at the end of the sentence, like "anymore" in English?
No, in Spanish, ya no almost always goes before the verb. While in English you can say "My grandfather doesn't work anymore", in Spanish you must keep ya no together and place it directly before the verb trabaja.
Why is the present tense trabaja used if this sentence is about something he stopped doing?
Because you are describing his current situation. Even though ya no implies a change from the past, the fact is that right now, in the present, he is not working. The simple present tense trabaja is perfect for describing current facts and habits.
What if I wanted to say "My grandfather doesn't work yet"?
To say "not yet", you use the phrase todavía no. You would say Mi abuelo todavía no trabaja. It is very helpful to learn ya no (not anymore) and todavía no (not yet) together since they are common opposites.

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