Say something hasn't happened yet (まだ〜ていない)
Pair まだ (“not yet”) with the negative ongoing form 〜ていません to state that an expected action has not been completed up to the present moment, leaving open the expectation that it will happen soon.
Not Yet Completed (まだ ~ていません)
hirugohan wa mada tabete imasen
I have not eaten lunch yet.
Already Done (もう〜た) vs Not Yet Done (まだ〜ていない)
Micro-Shiftもう 昼ごはんを 食べました。
Action is already completedI already ate lunch.
もう signals that the threshold has been crossed into completed past.
Example Sentences
It's noon now.
How it works
まだ + ていません creates the standard 'have not done yet' construction: まだ昼ごはんを食べていません (I haven't eaten lunch yet).
I haven't eaten lunch yet.
The Open Horizon Mental Model: Why 〜ていません?
In English, we say “I didn't eat yet” using simple past negative. If you translate this literally into Japanese as *まだ食べませんでした, native speakers will immediately cringe!
Why does simple past negative sound wrong? Because ませんでした places a closed seal on the past. It sounds like the window of opportunity slammed shut and you definitively refused to do it.
Instead, Japanese uses the continuous state 〜ていません (the negative of the ongoing 〜ている aspect). This paints a fundamentally different picture: “As of this exact moment, the completed state does not exist yet, but the door remains wide open and the action will happen soon!”
- Incorrect:
*まだ食べませんでした - Natural and correct: まだ食べていません: “I haven't eaten yet.”
Two Natural Ways to Respond
When someone asks if you have finished a task (もう宿題をしましたか):
1. Ultra-lean short answer (まだです): - いいえ、まだです: “No, not yet.” - Among friends: ううん、まだ！: “Not yet!” 2. Full polite answer (まだ〜ていません): - いいえ、まだしていません: “No, I haven't done it yet.” - まだ読んでいません: “I haven't read it yet.” - まだ決めていません: “I haven't decided yet.”
Still vs Not Yet: まだ with Affirmative Verbs
Notice that when まだ is paired with an affirmative verb or noun, its meaning shifts from “not yet” to “still”:
- With affirmative ongoing actions:
- まだ雨が降っています: “It is still raining.”
- まだ寝ています: “He is still sleeping.”
- With time or states:
- まだ５時です: “It's still only 5:00.”
- まだ子どもです: “He is still a child.”
In Dialogue
Kenjiもう宿題をしましたか。
Have you done your homework already?
Yukiいいえ、まだしていません。今からします。
No, not yet. I'll do it right now.
Quick Check
Someone asks: ‘もう映画を見ましたか’ (Did you already see the movie?). How do you answer naturally: ‘No, I haven't seen it yet’?