aspect N5 essential casualpolitewritten
まだ〜ていません — have not ~ yet
まだ〜ていません ・ まだていません
Builds on ている
Meaning
- haven't ~ yet — an expected action has not happened up to now but still may
Key sentence
宿題はまだ終わっていません。
I haven't finished my homework yet.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (て-form) | まだ + V-て + いません (casual: いない) | 食べる → まだ食べていません |
Examples
その映画はまだ見ていない。
I haven't seen that movie yet.
彼からの返事はまだ来ていません。
His reply hasn't come yet.
昼ごはんをまだ食べていないので、お腹がすいた。
I haven't eaten lunch yet, so I'm hungry.
When you can't use it
- Use 〜ていません, not 〜ませんでした, for 'not yet'. まだ食べていません = haven't eaten yet (and may still); 食べませんでした = simply didn't eat (a closed past fact).
Easily confused with
Notes
- もう can also pair with the negative for 'not anymore' (もう食べていません = I no longer eat it), so まだ vs もう is what fixes the 'not yet' vs 'no longer' reading.
See まだ〜ていません in real sentences
Jengo shows まだ〜ていません the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.