N5 Sentence Endings, Guesses and Invitations

もう/まだ: meaning, usage and examples

もう/まだ means: already / not yet.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. A:もう昼ひるごはんを食たべましたか。B:いいえ、まだです。

   A: Have you eaten lunch already? B: No, not yet.

2. もう準備じゅんびができました。

   The preparations are already done.

3. 電車でんしゃはもう出でました。

   The train has already left.

4. 宿題しゅくだいはまだ終おわっていません。

   I haven't finished my homework yet.

When to use it

もう means "already": something is finished (もう食たべました = I have already eaten). まだ means "not yet" with a negative (まだ食たべていません = I have not eaten yet) and "still" with a positive (まだ寝ねています = he is still sleeping). To answer "もう...ましたか" with no, say いいえ, まだです.

Nuance

For "not yet", use the ていません form, not ませんでした. 食たべませんでした means "I did not eat" (a fact about the past), while まだ食たべていません means you plan to eat later. もう with a negative means "no longer": もう痛いたくないです = it no longer hurts.

Compare

もう vs まだ: they are opposites. もう帰かえりました = he has already gone home. まだいます = he is still here. Also compare もう + number, which means "more": もう一ひとつください = one more, please. This もう is not "already".

Tip: A common mistake is answering いいえ, まだ食たべませんでした. That reports a finished past, not "not yet". Say いいえ, まだです or まだ食たべていません instead.