2 · Aspect: le, guo, zhe and zai
Hái méi … ne: not yet
the negative of “already”
Hái méi before the verb, often with ne at the end, says that something has not happened yet but is expected to.
“Not yet” is 还没 (or 还没有) before the verb, often rounded off with 呢: 我还没吃饭呢, “I haven’t eaten yet”. 还 means “still”, so the sentence is literally “I still have not eaten” — the expected event has not arrived so far.
It is the mirror of 已经…了, “already”. 他已经走了: he has already left. 他还没走呢: he hasn’t left yet. As with 没 before any action, there is no 了: the event has not taken place, so there is nothing to complete. The 呢 adds “as things stand” and makes the answer softer.
The difference between 还没 and 还不 follows the usual line between the two negatives. 天还没黑: it hasn’t got dark yet — the change has not come. 他还不想睡觉: he still doesn’t want to go to bed — a state or a will that continues.
English speakers carry “have” and “yet” over and produce 我还没吃饭了. Drop the 了; if the sentence feels bare, add 呢.
The form
| not yet | 我还没吃饭。 |
| with ne | 我还没吃饭呢。 |
| the fuller form | 我还没有吃饭。 |
| the short answer | 还没呢。 |
| the opposite: already | 我已经吃饭了。 |
| still not: a state | 他还不知道。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Hái méi goes before the verb: it has not happened yet.
他还没起床。He hasn’t got up yet.
Ne at the end adds “so far” and makes the sentence softer.
作业我还没做完呢。I haven’t finished my homework yet.
There is no le: hái méi is the opposite of yǐjīng … le.
电影还没开始，别着急。The film hasn’t started yet — don’t worry.
Hái bù describes a state or a will that still holds; hái méi a change that has not come.
他还不想睡觉。He still doesn’t want to go to bed.
A closer look
“Not yet” and a plain “no”
To 你吃饭了吗？ there are two negative answers. 还没呢 says “not yet” and implies that you will. A bare 没有 is a flat “no”, with nothing promised. In everyday talk the first is far more common, and it sounds friendlier.
还…呢 is not tied to the negative. The same pair describes something still going on: 他还在睡觉呢, “he is still asleep”. In both cases the situation has not yet changed, and 呢 says that this is how things stand.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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nobody expects the event to happen at all
use plain méi, not hái méi.
那天我没去他的生日聚会。I didn’t go to his birthday party that day.
还没 carries an expectation: not yet, but it will. For something that simply did not happen and is not going to, 还 would promise too much.
How to spot it
- 还没
- 还没有
- 还没…呢
Example sentences
我的快递还没到。My parcel hasn’t arrived yet.
这个问题我们还没有讨论。We haven’t discussed this question yet.
天还没亮，他就出门了。He left the house before it was even light.
她还没决定去不去呢。She hasn’t decided yet whether to go.
我还没去过西安。I haven’t been to Xi’an yet.
别走，会还没结束呢。Don’t go — the meeting isn’t over yet.
8 more example sentences
饭还没做好，再等一会儿。Dinner isn’t ready yet — wait a little longer.
他的病还没好呢。He hasn’t got over his illness yet.
我还没想好送她什么礼物。I haven’t worked out yet what present to give her.
孩子们还没有放学。The children haven’t come out of school yet.
都十点了，你怎么还没起床？It’s already ten — why aren’t you up yet?
这本书我还没看完，下个星期还你吧。I haven’t finished this book yet — I’ll give it back to you next week.
飞机还没起飞呢，来得及。The plane hasn’t taken off yet — there’s still time.
我还没习惯这儿的天气。I’m not used to the weather here yet.
Worth knowing (1)
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Hái méi … jiù …: before … even
还没 in a first clause and 就 in the second say that the second thing happened before the first had a chance to: surprisingly early, or rudely soon.
我还没说完，他就走了。He left before I had even finished speaking.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “I haven’t eaten yet” has a perfect tense in it, and that seems to call for 了. But the meal has not happened, and 了 would say that it has. The particle that goes with “not yet” is 呢.
Already is yǐjīng … le; not yet is hái méi … ne.
Your turn
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