Spanish word

ya

Pronunciation

IPA/ʝa/

Meaning

  • adverbalready

Example

Él ya terminó el trabajo.

He has already finished the work.

Illustration for ya (already)

More examples

Ya no viene.

He is not coming anymore.

Core concept

A completed action just before the present moment.

Common phrases

  • ya no

    not anymore

  • ya mismo

    right now

  • ya voy

    on my way

Similar words

todavía: An action or state that continues up to now.
ya mismo: An action performed at once, without delay.
ahora: The present time, right now.
ya no: Something that happened before but does not happen anymore.

Definition in Spanish

Señala que algo ocurrió antes del ahora; en oraciones negativas se combina en 'ya no' para expresar que algo ha dejado de ocurrir.

Word origin

Derives from Latin iam and through regular Romance development became Spanish ya, keeping the central sense of an action already completed relative to now.

Usage tips

  • Ya commonly appears before the main verb (Ya lo hice) but can follow the verb for emphasis (Lo hice ya), unlike English which usually places already after the verb.

Other meanings

  • anymoreadverb
  • no longeradverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word