If a Japanese teacher asked you to translate “not yet”, you would say まだ. Translate “already” and you would say もう. So far so good. The trap appears the moment polarity flips. Both words have two opposite meanings depending on whether the verb is affirmative or negative. That is why beginners — even ones who know the dictionary glosses — slip into まだ食べた (intended “already ate”) which is unnatural in standard Japanese.
1. The Four-Cell Grid
This is the only chart you really need:
| Affirmative verb | Negative verb | |
|---|---|---|
| もう | already (the action is done) | no longer / not anymore |
| まだ | still (the action is ongoing) | not yet (the action has not started) |
2. もう + Affirmative — “Already”
This is the version every textbook teaches first. The action is finished or has begun.
もう食べました。 I’ve already eaten.
もう着きました。 I’ve already arrived.
もう8時です。 It’s already 8 o’clock.
3. もう + Negative — “No Longer”
Same word, opposite shape. The action that used to be true is no longer true.
もう飲みません。 I no longer drink.
もう子供じゃない。 I’m not a child anymore.
もう要らない。 I don’t need it anymore.
4. まだ + Affirmative — “Still”
The action or state continues at the moment of speaking.
まだ勉強しています。 I’m still studying.
まだ雨が降っています。 It’s still raining.
まだ時間があります。 There’s still time.
5. まだ + Negative — “Not Yet”
The action has not begun, but is expected to.
まだ食べていません。 I haven’t eaten yet.
まだ来ていません。 They haven’t arrived yet.
まだ準備ができていません。 It’s not ready yet.
6. The Tense Subtlety: ています Beats ました
Here is a refinement most N5 textbooks gloss over. When responding to “Have you eaten?” the most natural Japanese answer for “not yet” uses the negative ていません form, not ませんでした.
Q: もう食べましたか。 Have you eaten yet?
A (yes): はい、もう食べました。
A (no): いいえ、まだ食べていません。 (NOT 食べませんでした)
Why? ませんでした describes a completed non-event in the past (“I did not eat (then)”), but the social meaning of “not yet” is “I have not eaten but I might.” ていません captures that ongoing-not-yet state precisely.
7. Single-Word Replies
もう and まだ work as one-word answers in casual Japanese, and natives lean on them constantly.
- Q: 終わった？ A: もう。 Done already.
- Q: 食べた？ A: まだ。 Not yet.
- Q: いる？ A: もう要らないよ。 I don’t need it anymore.
8. The Top 3 Mistakes Beginners Make
- まだ + past affirmative for “already”: ✗ まだ食べた → ✓ もう食べた.
- もう + ません when they meant “not yet”: ✗ もう食べません → ✓ まだ食べていません.
- もう/まだ confused at restaurants: The waiter says お待たせしました and the customer says まだ when they mean “I’m still deciding” — that one is correct! But many learners answer もう by reflex.
9. The Two-Minute Drill
Pick a single verb, say 食べる. Conjugate it through all four cells aloud:
- もう食べました。 (already ate)
- もう食べません。 (no longer eat)
- まだ食べています。 (still eating)
- まだ食べていません。 (not yet eaten)
Repeat with three different verbs every morning. By day five your brain has internalized the grid more reliably than any rule explanation could.
Drill the もう / まだ Grid in Kanjijo
Kanjijo’s N5 grammar deck has a dedicated discrimination set for this pair, with cloze cards across all four logical cells, native audio and exclusive vocabulary mnemonics.
Download Kanjijo FreeRelated Reading on Kanjijo
Frequently Asked Questions
Already in affirmative sentences, no longer in negative ones.
Still in affirmative sentences, not yet in negative ones.
Each has two opposite meanings depending on verb polarity. Without drilling all four combinations, errors are predictable.
Saying まだ食べた for “already ate.” The correct form is もう食べました.
Use cloze cards that fix the verb polarity and force you to choose between the two adverbs.