How to Say "Not Yet" in Spanish: Todavía No, Aún No, and Related Time Phrases
Learn to answer "not yet" in Spanish with todavía no and aún no, and tell them apart from ya no, todavía, and ahora no in everyday replies about readiness, eating, and finishing tasks.
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When someone asks if you are ready, if you have eaten, or if you have finished something, English often answers with a simple "not yet." Spanish has two everyday ways to say this: todavía no and aún no. They are close in meaning, but the surrounding words matter: todavía can also mean "still," ya no means "no longer," and ahora no means "not now." This lesson gives you short, reusable replies for real conversations, with attention to the accent on aún and to common patterns in Latin American Spanish.
By the end, you can…
- answer "not yet" about readiness, eating, or finishing a task using todavía no or aún no.
- distinguish todavía no from ya no, todavía, and ahora no in short everyday replies.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Todavía no.
Not yet.
toh-dah-VEE-ah noh
The most common general reply. Use it when something has not happened up to now but is still expected.
Aún no.
Not yet.
ah-OON noh
A close equivalent of todavía no. The accent on aún distinguishes it from aun, which has other meanings. Pronounce aún as ah-OON, with stress on the second vowel.
Todavía no estoy listo.
I'm not ready yet.
toh-dah-VEE-ah noh ehs-TOY LEES-toh
Use for personal readiness. A woman would normally say lista: Todavía no estoy lista.
Todavía no he comido.
I haven't eaten yet.
toh-dah-VEE-ah noh eh koh-MEE-doh
A natural reply when someone asks if you have eaten. In much of Latin America, the simple past is also common: Todavía no comí.
Aún no termino.
I'm not finished yet.
ah-OON noh tehr-MEE-noh
Common in parts of Latin America for a task that is not finished yet. Aún no he terminado and Todavía no termino are other useful ways to express this idea.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is todavía no or aún no plus the thing that has not happened: Todavía no estoy listo. Aún no he comido. You can also use a short answer by itself: —¿Ya terminaste? —Todavía no. In many Latin American varieties, the simple past is common where Peninsular Spanish would use the present perfect: Todavía no comí. Both are understandable; choose the form used around you.
When to use it
Use todavía no when the action has not happened but may still happen: Todavía no llega el autobús. Use ya no when something was true before but is not true now: Ya no trabajo allí. Use todavía without no to mean "still": Todavía trabajo allí. Use ahora no to mean "not now," often about a present moment rather than an unfinished process: Ahora no puedo, pero más tarde sí. The accent on aún matters in writing: aún no means "not yet," while aun without the accent often means "even." Word order can vary in real speech, so treat these as frequent patterns, not as the only possible ones.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
¿Ya estás lista para salir?
Are you ready to leave yet?yah ehs-TAHS LEE-stah pah-rah sah-LEERTodavía no. Dame cinco minutos.
Not yet. Give me five minutes.toh-dah-VEE-ah noh. DAH-meh SEEN-koh mee-NOO-tohs¿Y ya comiste?
And have you eaten yet?ee yah koh-MEES-tehAún no, pero voy a comer algo antes de salir.
Not yet, but I'm going to eat something before leaving.ah-OON noh, PEH-roh boy ah koh-MEHR AHL-goh AHN-tehs deh sah-LEERA little context goes a long way
Todavía no and aún no are both standard and widely understood. In everyday Latin American Spanish, todavía no is especially frequent in conversation, while aún no can sound slightly more formal or emphatic. Short answers are normal and polite when the question is clear. If you need to soften a refusal, add a reason or a later time: Todavía no, pero en un rato sí.
One thing to watch for
Using ya no to mean "not yet," as in Ya no estoy listo for "I'm not ready yet."
Try this instead: Ya no means "no longer": Ya no estoy listo usually suggests you were ready before but are not now. For "not yet," say Todavía no estoy listo or Aún no estoy listo.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Someone asks ¿Ya terminaste? You have not finished but you are still working. Give a short Spanish answer.
Show a sample answer
Todavía no.
Todavía no is the standard short reply for "not yet." Aún no is also correct and would be understood the same way in this context.
2Translate: "I no longer work there." Use ya no.
Show a sample answer
Ya no trabajo allí.
Ya no marks a change from a past situation. Todavía no would mean "I don't work there yet," which is a different idea.
3You cannot talk right now, but you can later. Which phrase fits better: todavía no or ahora no?
Show a sample answer
Ahora no.
Ahora no means "not now" and points to the present moment. Todavía no would suggest the action has not happened yet but is still expected, which is also possible, but ahora no is the more precise choice here.
Use todavía no or aún no for "not yet," ya no for "no longer," todavía alone for "still," and ahora no for "not now." Keep the accent on aún when you mean "not yet."
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