todavía no
Lemma Details
Translation: not yet; still not
Part of Speech: adverbial phrase
Etymology: This phrase combines 'todavía' (still, yet) and 'no' (not). 'Todavía' comes from the Old Spanish 'toda vía' meaning 'all the way' or 'always', where 'toda' is from Latin 'totus' (all) and 'vía' from Latin 'via' (way, road). The combination creates a temporal expression indicating that an expected action or state has not occurred up to the present moment.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 70%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'toda vía' as 'all the way' - you haven't gone 'all the way' to completion yet.
- Connect 'todavía' with 'today via' - the action hasn't happened 'via today'.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Synonyms
Cultural Context
This phrase is used frequently in everyday Spanish conversation to indicate that something expected hasn't happened yet. It's neutral in tone and appropriate in all contexts.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'todavía no' means 'not yet' (implying something might happen in the future), 'ya no' means 'no longer' or 'not anymore' (implying something happened in the past but has stopped).
Notes: The difference is in the temporal perspective: 'todavía no' suggests expectation of future occurrence, while 'ya no' indicates cessation of past occurrence.
Mnemonic: Think of 'todavía no' as looking forward (not YET) and 'ya no' as looking backward (not ANYMORE).
Explanation: 'Todavía' alone means 'still' or 'yet' in an affirmative sense, while 'todavía no' is specifically negative, meaning 'not yet'.
Notes: The addition of 'no' completely changes the implication of 'todavía'.
Mnemonic: Remember that adding 'no' flips the meaning from 'still happening' to 'still not happening'.