español · B1 · vocabulary · 5 minutes
Ya, todavía, and the tiny words between
Use seven small adverbs to reshape time, emphasis, and expectation.
Understand the choice
These short words carry more structure than their size suggests. Ya marks a change or completed expectation; todavía and aún keep something open; justo narrows a moment or match; ni siquiera moves below the minimum expectation; apenas presents a very small amount.
Core rule: Small time and focus adverbs position an action as completed, continuing, exact, or barely happening.
Notice it in context
Ya no vivo allí, pero todavía vuelvo de vez en cuando.
I no longer live there, but I still go back from time to time.
Ya no closes the earlier situation, while todavía says the returning continues.
Ya he terminado el informe.
I have already finished the report.
Ya marks the expected action as complete.
Todavía no sabemos la respuesta.
We still do not know the answer.
Todavía no keeps a negative situation open until now.
Llegaste justo a tiempo.
You arrived just in time.
Justo narrows the timing to the exact useful moment.
Ni siquiera me saludó.
He did not even say hello to me.
Ni siquiera marks failure to reach a minimum expectation.
Apenas dormí tres horas.
I barely slept three hours.
Apenas presents the quantity as surprisingly small.
What to remember
- Ya and todavía often answer opposite expectations: ya terminó; todavía no ha terminado.
- Ya no means no longer and normally surrounds the verb as ya no + verb.
- Aún can replace todavía in many time meanings, but aun without an accent also means even.
Common trap: Do not translate just mechanically with justo. Recent actions often use acabar de, while justo usually means exact or exactly.