Say something has already happened (もう + past)

The Milestone Timestamp: The Mental Model

In Japanese conversation, もう (already) signifies crossing an anticipated boundary. Pairing it with a past tense verb confirms that an action, task, or arrival has officially reached the other side of the finish line:

• もう食べました: “I have already eaten.”
• 新幹線はもう出発しました: “The bullet train has already departed.”
• 宿題はもう終わりました: “My homework is already finished.”

Asking Questions & Responding

In daily life, もう is commonly used to check progress on expected milestones:

• もう昼ご飯を食べましたか: “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
• Affirmative answer: はい、もう食べました: “Yes, I already ate.”
• Short polite: はい、もう: “Yes, already.”

The Crucial Asymmetry: Never Say “もう食べませんでした”

What happens if the answer is negative? Learners often make the mistake of using past negative: *いいえ、もう食べませんでした.

In Japanese, that sounds ungrammatical and contradictory! If an expected action has NOT taken place yet, you must switch out of もう and into the waiting state まだ (“not yet”): • Correct: いいえ、まだです: “No, not yet.” • Full polite: いいえ、まだ食べていません: “No, I haven't eaten yet.”

The Three Faces of もう

Beginners often get confused because もう performs three distinct jobs in Japanese:

1. もう + Past (〜た): “Already” (もう読みました = already read it). 2. もう + Number / Counter: “Another / More” (もう一杯 = one more cup; もう一度 = once more). 3. もう + Non-past / Future: “Soon / Almost” (もうすぐ春です = spring is almost here; もう帰ります = I'm heading home now).