ya no
Lemma Details
Translation: no longer; not anymore; no more; not now
Part of Speech: adverbial phrase
Etymology: This phrase combines two Spanish adverbs: 'ya' (already, now) which comes from Latin 'iam' (already, now, immediately) and 'no' (not) from Latin 'non'. The combination creates an expression indicating that something that was happening before has ceased.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 60%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'ya' as 'already' and 'no' as 'not' - together they mean 'already not' or 'not anymore'
- Imagine someone saying 'Ya! No!' with a hand gesture indicating stopping something
Cultural Context
This is an extremely common phrase in everyday Spanish conversation. It's used to indicate the cessation of an action or state that was previously ongoing.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Ya' alone means 'already' or 'now', while 'ya no' means 'not anymore' or 'no longer'.
This word:
Ya no como carne.
I don't eat meat anymore.
Confused word:
Ya comí.
I already ate.
Notes: The addition of 'no' completely changes the meaning from affirmation to negation.
Mnemonic: 'Ya' is positive (already done), while 'ya no' is negative (no longer doing).
Explanation: 'Ya no' indicates something that has stopped, while 'todavía no' means 'not yet' (something hasn't happened but might in the future).
Confused word:
Todavía no estudio español.
I don't study Spanish yet.
Notes: These phrases represent opposite temporal perspectives on negation.
Mnemonic: 'Ya no' looks backward (something stopped), 'todavía no' looks forward (something hasn't started).