Not Yet In Spanish Language | Two Natural Spanish Options

In everyday Spanish, “todavía no” is the go-to way to say “not yet,” with “aún no” fitting the same slot in many sentences.

You can learn Spanish for years and still freeze on tiny phrases. “Not yet” is one of those. It pops up at the airport, in text messages, at work, and in daily life. The good news: Spanish has clear, natural choices. Once you get the rhythm, you’ll hear them everywhere and you’ll start using them without thinking.

This article shows the cleanest ways to say “not yet” in Spanish, when to pick each one, where word order changes the tone, and how to dodge the classic spelling trap with aun vs. aún.

What “Not Yet” Means In Real Conversations

In English, “not yet” usually carries one of two ideas. One is timing: the thing hasn’t happened up to this moment. The other is readiness: you’re not ready to do something right now, but you might be later.

Spanish covers both ideas with the same core structure: an adverb that signals “still / yet,” plus no. In plain speech, you’ll hear todavía no most often. You’ll also hear aún no in many places. Both can sound fully natural.

There’s a small bonus. Spanish lets you move the “yet” word to the end. That shift can feel a bit more emphatic or a touch more formal, depending on the sentence.

Not Yet In Spanish Language: The Two Default Phrases

If you want one safe answer you can use across most situations, start with todavía no. It lines up with “not yet” in a direct way, and it’s easy to place at the start of a clause.

Aún no often means the same thing. Many usage notes treat aún and todavía as near-twins when they mean “still / yet,” so you’ll see both in similar spots in real speech. The choice often comes down to habit, region, and what sounds smooth in the sentence you’re saying.

“Todavía No” With A Simple Present Situation

Use todavía no when something hasn’t happened up to now.

• Todavía no llego. (I’m not there yet.)
• Todavía no sé. (I don’t know yet.)
• Todavía no está listo. (It isn’t ready yet.)

In speech, the stress falls naturally on vía in todavía. If you say it smoothly, it sounds relaxed and everyday.

“Aún No” And The Accent Mark That Changes Meaning

When aún means “still / yet,” it carries an accent mark. When aun means “even,” it usually drops the accent. That single mark changes the meaning in writing, so it’s worth learning as a habit you can trust.

Word Order That Sounds Natural

Spanish gives you two common placements:

• Front placement:Todavía no / Aún no + verb
• End placement: No + verb + todavía / aún

Both are correct. The front placement is the one most learners pick up first. End placement pops up a lot in writing and in some spoken styles.

Picking The Right Option By Situation

If you’re choosing between todavía no and aún no, you can treat them as twins in many contexts. Still, there are patterns that help you sound more like a fluent speaker.

When You Want A Plain, Everyday Tone

Todavía no is easy, neutral, and widely used. It’s also a clean choice when you’re speaking fast and you don’t want to fuss with an accent mark while typing.

When You’re Writing And Want A Shorter Form

Aún no is compact. In some writing styles, it can feel slightly neater on the page. In many regions, people use it constantly in speech too.

When You Mean “Even” Instead Of “Not Yet”

This is where many learners trip. If the meaning is “even,” it’s aun without an accent, and it doesn’t mean “not yet.” Compare:

• Aún no llega. (He hasn’t arrived yet.)
• Aun así, voy. (Even so, I’m going.)

That second pattern is a fixed phrase you’ll see a lot. When you’re unsure, try swapping in todavía. If the sentence breaks, it’s likely the “even” meaning, so you’ll want aun without the accent.

Common Sentence Patterns You Can Reuse

Memorizing a few shapes does more than memorizing single words. These patterns cover most “not yet” moments you’ll run into.

Not Yet + Past Participle

Spanish often pairs “not yet” with the present perfect when English would do the same.

• Todavía no he comido. (I haven’t eaten yet.)
• Aún no hemos salido. (We haven’t left yet.)

Not Yet + “Ready” Or “Done”

• Todavía no está listo. (It’s not ready yet.)
• No está listo todavía. (Same meaning, a bit more pointed.)
• Aún no está hecho. (It’s not done yet.)

Not Yet + “I Can’t”

• Todavía no puedo. (I can’t yet.)
• No puedo todavía. (I can’t yet, and I’m stressing the timing.)

Table: “Not Yet” Options And When They Fit

Use this table as a fast pick list when you’re speaking or writing.

Spanish Phrase	What It Signals	When It Fits Best
Todavía no	Up to now, the action hasn’t happened	Everyday speech, quick replies, most “not yet” moments
Aún no	Same timing sense as “todavía no”	Speech and writing; also handy when you want a shorter phrase
No… todavía	Timing emphasis at the end	When you want to stress “yet,” or mirror a more formal rhythm
No… aún	Same as “no… todavía,” with “aún”	Writing, careful speech, or when “aún” is your usual word
Todavía no + present perfect	Not done up to now	Status updates: eaten, paid, arrived, finished
Aún no + present perfect	Same as above	Status updates with a shorter adverb
Aun (no accent)	“Even,” not “not yet”	Contrast and emphasis: aun así, aun cuando
¿Todavía no?	Checking if something is still pending	Friendly nudges: “Not yet?” in a chat or call

If you like checking rules on official pages, these three links are the ones Spanish teachers point to again and again: RAE’s dictionary entry for “todavía”, the RAE spelling rule on “aún/aun”, and FundéuRAE’s guidance on the accent mark. They’re also handy when you want to double-check a sentence before you hit send.

Small Nuance: “Still Not” Versus “Not Yet”

English can split hairs between “still not” and “not yet.” Spanish often uses the same forms, and tone carries the rest. You can add a bit of extra feel with word order and context.

If you want to sound patient and neutral, place the “yet” word early: Todavía no + verb. If you want to sound a touch more insistent, put it at the end: No + verb + todavía. It’s not rude by default. It just draws the ear to the timing.

Questions That Sound Natural

• ¿Todavía no? (Not yet?)
• ¿Aún no? (Not yet?)
• ¿No has terminado todavía? (You haven’t finished yet?)

In many places, rising intonation does a lot of work. The words stay the same. Your tone shows whether you’re curious, joking, or impatient.

Typing Tips: Accents On Phones And Computers

When you write aún, the accent mark helps your reader get the meaning right away. Most phone input panels make accents easy with a long press on the vowel. On a computer, Spanish input layouts and shortcuts vary by system, so it helps to set a layout you like and stick with it.

If you can’t type the accent in a pinch, many readers will still understand from context. Still, when you’re writing a résumé, a formal email, or a school assignment, adding the accent is worth the extra second.

What Advanced Learners Get Wrong Most Often

People who know a lot of Spanish grammar still slip on “not yet” in three spots: mixing up aun and aún, overusing one phrase in every context, and placing todavía in odd spots because they translate word by word.

Mixing Up “Aun” And “Aún”

If you can swap in todavía, it’s aún with an accent. If you can swap in “even,” it’s aun without one. This check is backed by standard spelling guidance and repeated by usage notes. It’s simple and it works.

Forgetting That End Placement Exists

When learners only use “front placement,” their Spanish can sound a bit rigid. Try mixing in end placement once in a while:

• No lo sé todavía.
• No hemos llegado aún.

Listen for it in films, podcasts, and calls. Once you notice it, you’ll start copying it naturally.

Using “No Todavía” As A Standalone Reply

In English, “Not yet” works as a full reply. In Spanish, you can say Todavía no as a full reply and it sounds natural. No todavía can appear in longer sentences, but as a two-word answer it can sound off in many dialects. If you want a safe short reply, stick to Todavía no or Aún no.

Table: Quick Fixes For Common Mistakes

If your sentence feels clunky, these swaps usually clean it up fast.

If You Wrote	Try This Instead	Why It Reads Better
No todavía.	Todavía no.	Natural short reply in many regions
Aun no llega. (meaning “not yet”)	Aún no llega.	Accent marks the “yet” meaning
Todavía no fui.	Todavía no he ido.	Present perfect often matches “haven’t … yet”
No he comido aún. (formal feel)	Aún no he comido.	Front placement sounds lighter in speech
Aún así (meaning “even so”)	Aun así	No accent when it means “even”
No está todavía listo.	No está listo todavía.	Common word order with end emphasis

A Simple Practice Routine That Sticks

If you want this to feel automatic, practice it in tiny bursts. Pick one verb you use every day and run five lines with it.

1. Say it as a short reply: Todavía no.
2. Say it with the verb: Todavía no trabajo.
3. Flip the order: No trabajo todavía.
4. Switch to aún with the same verb: Aún no trabajo.
5. Write one “even” sentence with aun: Aun cansado, trabajo.

That last step keeps your spelling honest. It also trains your ear to hear the difference between “yet” and “even.”

Final Check Before You Hit Send

If your goal is to write one clean Spanish line that says “not yet,” here’s the simplest path:

• Use todavía no when you want the most common everyday phrasing.
• Use aún no when you want the same meaning in a shorter form, and keep the accent when it equals todavía.
• Move todavía or aún to the end when you want extra emphasis on timing.

That’s it. With those three moves, you can handle texts, calls, school, and work without getting stuck on this phrase again.