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Relative Time Expressions

How ongoing, completed, and no-longer states are expressed in Spanish, English and Chinese.

Compare languages

Relative time marks whether an event is still ongoing, already completed, or not yet begun. Spanish uses ya/todavía/aún. English uses already/yet/still/anymore. Chinese uses 已yǐ经jīng/还huán/再zài/又yòu.

Overview

Relative time expressions indicate where an event stands in relation to the present moment: completed, ongoing, or discontinued.

Spanish: Ya (already), todavía/aún (still/yet), ya no (no longer). These adverbs interact with negation in ways that differ from English.
English: Already (sooner than expected), yet (up to now, usually negative/question), still (continuing), anymore (no longer, negative only). No longer is a formal alternative.
Chinese: 已yǐ经jīng (already completed), 还huán (still), 再zài (again, future), 又yòu (again, past). 了le marks change of state or completion.

Spanish

Ya (already)

Affirmative: event completed before expected time:

Ya comí. (I already ate.)
Ya llegó. (He already arrived.)
Ya lo sé. (I already know.)

Negative: no longer (with no):

Ya no como carne. (I no longer eat meat.)
Ya no vivo allí. (I don’t live there anymore.)
Ya no lo quiero. (I don’t want it anymore.)

Question: already? (expectation of yes):

¿Ya te vas? (You’re leaving already?)
¿Ya lo terminaste? (You already finished it?)

Todavía / aún (still / yet)

Affirmative: still ongoing:

Todavía estoy aquí. (I’m still here.)
Aún no me voy. (I’m not leaving yet.)
Todavía me gusta. (I still like it.)

Negative: not yet:

Todavía no he comido. (I haven’t eaten yet.)
Aún no llegó. (He hasn’t arrived yet.)
Todavía no sé. (I don’t know yet.)

Aún is slightly more formal/literary than todavía.

Ya vs todavía: scope

	Ya	Todavía
Positive	already completed	still ongoing
Negative	no longer (ya no)	not yet (todavía no)

Otra vez / de nuevo (again)

Lo hice otra vez. (I did it again.)
Empieza de nuevo. (Start again/over.)
Nunca más. (Never again.)

Una vez más (once more)

Dime una vez más. (Tell me one more time.)
Lo intentaré una vez más. (I’ll try one more time.)

English

Already (before expected time)

I’ve already eaten. (sooner than expected)
She’s already left. (surprisingly early)
Is dinner already ready? (surprise)

Position: mid-position (after auxiliary, before main verb)

Yet (up to now — negative/questions)

I haven’t eaten yet.
Has he arrived yet?
Are you ready yet?

Position: end of clause

Note: Yet is primarily used in questions and negatives.

Still (continuing)

I’m still eating.
He still lives there.
Do you still love me?
She still hasn’t called.

Position: mid-position

Still in negative: action expected to have stopped but hasn’t:

I still don’t understand. (I expected to by now.)

Anymore / any more (no longer)

I don’t eat meat anymore. (US)
I don’t eat meat any more. (UK — “any more” as two words)
He doesn’t live here anymore.

Note: Anymore is negative polarity only:

✅ I don’t smoke anymore.
❌ I smoke anymore. (non-standard in most dialects)

No longer / not…any longer

Formal alternatives:

I no longer smoke.
I don’t smoke any longer.
She is no longer here.

Again

Do it again.
I told him again.
Never again.

Once more / one more time

Say it once more.
Let me try one more time.

Distinctions

Word	Meaning	Polarity	Position
already	before expected	positive/question	mid
yet	up to now	negative/question	end
still	continuing	any	mid
anymore	no longer	negative	end

Chinese

已yǐ经jīng (already)

Marks completion before expected time:

我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le。(I’ve already eaten.)
他tā已yǐ经jīng走zǒu了le。(He has already left.)
已yǐ经jīng很hěn晚wǎn了le。(It’s already late.)

Negation: 还huán没méi (not yet):

我wǒ还hái没méi吃chī。(I haven’t eaten yet.)
他tā还hái没méi来lái。(He hasn’t come yet.)

还huán (still)

我wǒ还hái在zài吃chī。(I’m still eating.)
他tā还hái在zài这zhè里lǐ。(He’s still here.)
我wǒ还hái是shì学xué生shēng。(I’m still a student.)

还huán + negative: still not (ongoing negative):

我wǒ还hái不bù知zhī道dào。(I still don’t know.)
他tā还hái没méi来lái。(He still hasn’t come.)

再zài (again — future)

明míng天tiān再zài说shuō。(We’ll talk about it again tomorrow.)
再zài见jiàn。(See you again. — goodbye)
请qǐng再zài说shuō一yí遍biàn。(Please say it again.)

再zài + negative: not anymore (future):

我wǒ再zài也yě不bù去qù了le。(I’ll never go again.)
不bù要yào再zài吃chī了le。(Don’t eat anymore.)

又yòu (again — past)

他tā又yòu来lái了le。(He’s come again.)
又yòu下xià雨yǔ了le。(It’s raining again.)
我wǒ又yòu忘wàng了le。(I forgot again.)

又yòu + 是shì: another instance:

又yòu是shì他tā。(It’s him again.)

还huán vs 已yǐ经jīng (still vs already)

	还huán	已yǐ经jīng
Meaning	still / yet	already
State	ongoing / not started	completed
Example	还huán在zài吃chī (still eating)	已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le (already ate)

了le as completion marker

吃chī了le (ate / have eaten)
去qù了le (went / have gone)
不bù吃chī了le (not eating anymore / won’t eat)

Comparison at a glance

Meaning	Spanish	English	Chinese
Already	ya	already	已yǐ经jīng…了le
Still	todavía / aún	still	还huán
Not yet	todavía no / aún no	not…yet	还huán没méi…
No longer	ya no	not…anymore / no longer	不bù再zài…了le
Again (future)	otra vez / de nuevo	again	再zài
Again (past)	otra vez	again	又yòu
Once more	una vez más	once more	再zài一yī次cì
Never again	nunca más	never again	再zài也yě不bù…了le

Examples

In Context

Spanish	English	Chinese
Ya comí.	I’ve already eaten.	我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le。
Todavía estoy comiendo.	I’m still eating.	我wǒ还huán在zài吃chī。
Ya no como carne.	I don’t eat meat anymore. / I no longer eat meat.	我wǒ不bù再zài吃chī肉ròu了le。

Common mistakes

Spanish speakers learning English: I don’t eat anymore meat → I don’t eat meat anymore
English speakers learning Spanish: No ya como → Ya no como (ya no together)
English speakers learning Chinese: 我wǒ又yòu明míng天tiān去qù → 我wǒ明míng天tiān再zài去qù (再zài for future, not 又yòu)
Chinese speakers learning English: I still not eat → I still haven’t eaten / I haven’t eaten yet

Aspect: How ongoing and completed actions are marked
Negation: How negation interacts with time expressions
Verb Tenses: How tense sequences work
Questions: How yes/no questions are formed

Examples

I already ate

Ya comí

I haven't eaten yet

Todavía no como / Aún no he comido

I'm still eating

Todavía estoy comiendo / Aún como

I don't eat anymore

Ya no como

Have you eaten yet?

¿Ya comiste? / ¿Todavía no comes?

Not anymore

Ya no

Again

otra vez / de nuevo

Once more

una vez más

Examples

I already ate

I already ate / I have already eaten

I haven't eaten yet

I'm still eating

I don't eat anymore

I don't eat anymore / I no longer eat

Have you eaten yet?

Not anymore

Not anymore / No longer

Again

again

Once more

once more / one more time

Examples

I already ate

我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le

I haven't eaten yet

我wǒ还huán没méi吃chī

I'm still eating

我wǒ还huán在zài吃chī

I don't eat anymore

我wǒ不bù再zài吃chī了le

Have you eaten yet?

你nǐ吃chī了le吗ma？ / 你nǐ还huán没méi吃chī吗ma？

Not anymore

不bù再zài...了le / 不bù...了le

Again

又yòu / 再zài

Once more

再zài一yī次cì / 又yòu一yī次cì

Comparison at a glance

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
I already ate	Ya comí	I already ate / I have already eaten	我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le
I haven't eaten yet	Todavía no como / Aún no he comido	I haven't eaten yet	我wǒ还huán没méi吃chī
I'm still eating	Todavía estoy comiendo / Aún como	I'm still eating	我wǒ还huán在zài吃chī
I don't eat anymore	Ya no como	I don't eat anymore / I no longer eat	我wǒ不bù再zài吃chī了le
Have you eaten yet?	¿Ya comiste? / ¿Todavía no comes?	Have you eaten yet?	你nǐ吃chī了le吗ma？ / 你nǐ还huán没méi吃chī吗ma？
Not anymore	Ya no	Not anymore / No longer	不bù再zài...了le / 不bù...了le
Again	otra vez / de nuevo	again	又yòu / 再zài
Once more	una vez más	once more / one more time	再zài一yī次cì / 又yòu一yī次cì

Side-by-side comparison

Grammar concepts	Spanish	English	Chinese
I already ate	Ya comí	I already ate / I have already eaten	我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le
I haven't eaten yet	Todavía no como / Aún no he comido	I haven't eaten yet	我wǒ还huán没méi吃chī
I'm still eating	Todavía estoy comiendo / Aún como	I'm still eating	我wǒ还huán在zài吃chī
I don't eat anymore	Ya no como	I don't eat anymore / I no longer eat	我wǒ不bù再zài吃chī了le
Have you eaten yet?	¿Ya comiste? / ¿Todavía no comes?	Have you eaten yet?	你nǐ吃chī了le吗ma？ / 你nǐ还huán没méi吃chī吗ma？
Not anymore	Ya no	Not anymore / No longer	不bù再zài...了le / 不bù...了le
Again	otra vez / de nuevo	again	又yòu / 再zài
Once more	una vez más	once more / one more time	再zài一yī次cì / 又yòu一yī次cì

Examples in context

I already ate

Spanish

Ya comí

English

I already ate / I have already eaten

Chinese

我wǒ已yǐ经jīng吃chī了le

I haven't eaten yet

Spanish

Todavía no como / Aún no he comido

English

I haven't eaten yet

Chinese

我wǒ还huán没méi吃chī

I'm still eating

Spanish

Todavía estoy comiendo / Aún como

English

I'm still eating

Chinese

我wǒ还huán在zài吃chī

I don't eat anymore

Spanish

Ya no como

English

I don't eat anymore / I no longer eat

Chinese

我wǒ不bù再zài吃chī了le

Have you eaten yet?

Spanish

¿Ya comiste? / ¿Todavía no comes?

English

Have you eaten yet?

Chinese

你nǐ吃chī了le吗ma？ / 你nǐ还huán没méi吃chī吗ma？

Not anymore

Spanish

Ya no

English

Not anymore / No longer

Chinese

不bù再zài...了le / 不bù...了le

Again

Spanish

otra vez / de nuevo

English

again

Chinese

又yòu / 再zài

Once more

Spanish

una vez más

English

once more / one more time

Chinese

再zài一yī次cì / 又yòu一yī次cì

Key Takeaways

Spanish: Ya (already), todavía/aún (still/yet), ya no (no longer). These adverbs interact with negation in ways that differ from English.

English: Already (sooner than expected), yet (up to now, usually negative/question), still (continuing), anymore (no longer, negative only). No longe.

Chinese: 已yǐ经jīng (already completed), 还huán (still), 再zài (again, future), 又yòu (again, past). 了le marks change of state or completion.

Key concepts compared: I already ate, I haven't eaten yet, I'm still eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does English 'already' require perfect aspect while Spanish 'ya' and Chinese <ruby>已<rt>yǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>经<rt>jīng</rt></ruby> do not?

English 'already' is almost always paired with a perfect tense: 'I have already eaten' or 'I already ate' (American English). The perfect marks that the event is relevant to the present. Spanish *ya* works with any past tense: *Ya comí* (I already ate — simple past) or *Ya he comido* (I have already eaten — present perfect). Chinese <ruby>已<rt>yǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>经<rt>jīng</rt></ruby> works with <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> and any verb: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>已<rt>yǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>经<rt>jīng</rt></ruby><ruby>吃<rt>chī</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> (I already ate). An English speaker learning Spanish or Chinese will overuse perfect tenses, producing *Ya he comido* in contexts where *Ya comí* is more natural. A Spanish or Chinese speaker learning English will omit the auxiliary: 'I already eat' (ungrammatical).

How do Chinese <ruby>再<rt>zài</rt></ruby> and <ruby>又<rt>yòu</rt></ruby> encode a tense distinction that English and Spanish do not make morphologically?

Chinese distinguishes repeated actions by time orientation: <ruby>再<rt>zài</rt></ruby> = again in the future ('See you again tomorrow'), <ruby>又<rt>yòu</rt></ruby> = again in the past ('He came again yesterday'). English uses 'again' for both: 'I'll do it again' and 'He did it again.' Spanish uses *otra vez* or *de nuevo* for both. An English or Spanish speaker learning Chinese must learn to split 'again' into two adverbs based on tense, a distinction their native language does not force. A Chinese speaker learning English will use 'again' correctly but may overuse adverbs like 'once more' to disambiguate, which sounds formal or theatrical in English.

Why do Spanish and English learners struggle with Chinese <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> in relative-time contexts?

<ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> marks completion or change of state, but it does not map neatly onto any single English or Spanish category. In <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>已<rt>yǐ</rt></ruby><ruby>经<rt>jīng</rt></ruby><ruby>吃<rt>chī</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> (I already ate), <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> signals that the eating is finished. But in <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>还<rt>huán</rt></ruby><ruby>没<rt>méi</rt></ruby><ruby>吃<rt>chī</rt></ruby><ruby>呢<rt>ne</rt></ruby> (I still haven't eaten), there is no <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> because the event is incomplete. English speakers expect a tense marker and will insert <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> where it does not belong: <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>想<rt>xiǎng</rt></ruby><ruby>吃<rt>chī</rt></ruby><ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby> (I want to eat — incorrect; should be <ruby>我<rt>wǒ</rt></ruby><ruby>想<rt>xiǎng</rt></ruby><ruby>吃<rt>chī</rt></ruby>). Spanish speakers, used to aspectual distinctions in the past (*comí* vs. *comía*), may underuse <ruby>了<rt>le</rt></ruby>, treating Chinese like Spanish and relying on adverbs alone.

References

Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981

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time-expressions temporal-clauses

Last updated: June 4, 2026

Overview

Spanish

Ya (already)

Todavía / aún (still / yet)

Ya vs todavía: scope

Otra vez / de nuevo (again)

Una vez más (once more)

English

Already (before expected time)

Yet (up to now — negative/questions)

Still (continuing)

Anymore / any more (no longer)

No longer / not…any longer

Again

Once more / one more time

Distinctions

Chinese

已yǐ经jīng (already)

还huán (still)

再zài (again — future)

又yòu (again — past)

还huán vs 已yǐ经jīng (still vs already)

了le as completion marker

Comparison at a glance

Examples

In Context

Common mistakes

Related topics

Examples

Examples

Examples

Comparison at a glance

Side-by-side comparison

Examples in context

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

References