Aún vs Ya vs Todavía: What’s the Difference and How to Use Them?

Do you already know how to use aún vs ya vs todavía?

What?

You still don’t know? Well don’t worry because you still have time to do it!

In this blog post, we’ll explore the differences between these short words and tell you how you can use each.

1. How to use ya in Spanish

The word ‘ya’ in Spanish is an adverb that indicates that something is done in a given past time. Think of it as an equivalent to the English word “already” in most of the cases.

Let’s see some examples of how ya in Spanish works in real conversations:

ACTOR 1
¿Quieres más arroz?
(Do you want more rice?)

ACTOR 2
No. Ya me serví, gracias.
(No. I already helped myself, thank you.)

ACTOR 1
Quedó más carne. ¿Te sirvo más?
(There’s still meat left. Should I serve you more?)

ACTOR 2
(molesto) NO, te dije que ya estoy bien.
(NO, I already told you I’m fine already.)

ACTOR 1
¿Quieres postre?
(Do you want dessert?)

ACTOR 2
TE VUELVO A REPETIR QUE YA ESTOY… ah, ¿es que hay quesillo?
(I REPEAT THAT I’M ALREADY… oh, there’s quesillo?)

On a side note: the negative form of ya is Ya no, and it’s used to state that something is not valid anymore or it doesn’t exist anymore.

Examples:

ACTOR 1
¿Quieres un cigarrillo?
(Do you want a cigarette?)

ACTOR 2
No gracias. Ya no estoy fumando.
(No, thanks. I don’t smoke anymore.)

ACTOR 1
¿Y una cerveza? Están bien frías.
(What about a beer? They’re very cold.)

ACTOR 2
La cosa es que ya no bebo.
(Thing is I don’t drink anymore.)

ACTOR 1
Bueno, está bien. Hay postre también, si quieres.
(Well, okay then. There’s dessert too if you want.)

ACTOR 2
Ya no como dulce, graci… espera, ¿eso es quesillo?
(I don’t eat sweets anymore, thank… wait, is that quesillo?)

A simple question: ¿YA te subscribiste a nuestro canal? (Did you already subscribe to our Spring Spanish channel?) 

We recommend you do it because we have many other Spanish hacks and useful tips for you to learn besides the difference between aún vs ya vs todavía.

2. How to use todavía in Spanish

The word Todavía is used to express continuity of an action or event. Or the lack of it if you use todavía no, which also could mean that an action is incomplete.

Think of it as a rough version of the English words still or yet. To see it in action, check this conversation:

ACTOR 1
Ché, ¿vamos a ver el partido? 
(Dude, are we going to watch the game?)

ACTOR 2
No creo. Todavía estoy estudiando. ¿Ya empezó?
(I don’t think so, I’m still studying. Did it start yet?)

ACTOR 1
No, todavía no, pero ya empezaron a transmitir los preliminares.
(No, not yet, but the preliminaries already started.)

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3. How to use aún in Spanish?

Bueno, te tengo una buena y una mala noticia (Well, I have good and bad news for you).

What’s that?

You want to hear the good news first? Okay then: “aún” with an accent can be used just like todavía..

In fact, we can go back to the previous conversation and do that exactly:

ACTOR 1
Ché, ¿vamos a ver el partido? 
(Dude, are we going to watch the game?)

ACTOR 2
No creo. Aún estoy estudiando. ¿Ya empezó?
(I don’t think so, I’m still studying. Did it start yet?)

ACTOR 1
No, aún no, pero ya empezaron a transmitir los preliminares.
(No, not yet, but the preliminaries already started.)

Okay, now the bad news: if you don’t use the accent and say aun, this is a word similar to the English word “even”.

So it works like this:

4. Summary of aún vs ya vs todavia

Examples for ya in Spanish

When expressing that something has been finished or it’s been done in a given past time:

• Ya me subscribí al canal, ya le di like a tu video y ya compartí (I already subscribed to the channel, I already liked your video and I already shared).

Examples for todavia in Spanish

When expressing continuity of an action or a passive trait:

• Todavía estoy estudiando (I’m still studying) or
• Todavía estás muy joven para tomar alcohol (you’re still too young to drink alcohol).

Examples for aún in Spanish

Aún can be used as a replacement for “todavía” in any case, and it follows the same rules:

• Aún estoy estudiando or aún estás muy joven para tomar alcohol. (I’m still studying or you’re still too young to drink alcohol.)

Let’s take a look at a few more examples:

Another confusing pair of words in Spanish is también and tampoco which mean something along the lines of “too” and “either”. Read our dedicated blog post to learn more about these two words.