Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Still; yet; not yet.
🎯 Primary Function
An adverb used to indicate that a situation is continuing without change, or that an anticipated event has not yet occurred.
📋 Grammar Structure
まだ + V / まだ + Adj
まだ + い形容詞
まだ + な形容詞 + だ/です
まだ + V-ていない / まだ + V-ません
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used frequently in polite speech (with です/ます forms) in professional settings (e.g., checking status, reporting delays).
Informal Situations
Very common in casual conversation, often shortened in reply (e.g., まだ?).
Written Language
Common in emails, letters, reports, and narrative writing.
Spoken Language
Highly essential for expressing current status, delays, and continuation.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing continuation of a state or action (“Still”).
Used with the V-ている form to indicate an ongoing action or status.
Example: 雨はまだ降っています。(Ame wa mada futte imasu.)
Expressing non-completion or non-occurrence (“Not yet”).
Used primarily with negative verb forms (V-ていない or V-ません) to state that an expected action has not been finished or started.
Example: 新しい本はまだ読みません。(Atarashii hon wa mada yomimasen.)
Expressing the degree or extent (“Still,” “Even now”).
Used to emphasize the remaining degree of a quality or quantity (time, age, difficulty, etc.).
Example: 彼はまだ若いから、大丈夫です。(Kare wa mada wakai kara, daijōbu desu.)
Frequency
Extremely High. Essential for daily conversation.
Difficulty
N5/N4 (Essential Beginner/Intermediate)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
彼はまだ勉強しています。
Furigana: かれは まだ べんきょうしています。
Romaji: Kare wa mada benkyō shite imasu.
English: He is still studying.
Example #2
私はまだ朝ごはんを食べていません。
Furigana: わたしは まだ あさごはんを たべていません。
Romaji: Watashi wa mada asagohan o tabete imasen.
English: I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.
Example #3
電車はまだ来ません。
Furigana: でんしゃは まだ きません。
Romaji: Densha wa mada kimasen.
English: The train hasn’t arrived yet.
Example #4
昨日の夜は、まだ寒かったです。
Furigana: きのうの よるは、まだ さむかったです。
Romaji: Kinō no yoru wa, mada samukatta desu.
English: Last night, it was still cold.
Example #5
試験までまだ時間があります。
Furigana: しけんまで まだ じかんが あります。
Romaji: Shiken made mada jikan ga arimasu.
English: There is still time until the exam.
Example #6
この問題は、まだ難しいです。
Furigana: この もんだいは、まだ むずかしいです。
Romaji: Kono mondai wa, mada muzukashii desu.
English: This problem is still difficult.
Example #7
宿題は終わりましたか。いいえ、まだです。
Furigana: しゅくだいは おわりましたか。いいえ、まだです。
Romaji: Shukudai wa owarimashita ka. Iie, mada desu.
English: Did you finish your homework? No, not yet.
Example #8
佐藤さんはまだ会社にいますか。
Furigana: さとうさんは まだ かいしゃに いますか。
Romaji: Satō-san wa mada kaisha ni imasu ka.
English: Is Mr. Sato still at the office?
Example #9
彼はもう二十歳ですが、まだ子供みたいです。
Furigana: かれは もう はたちですが、まだ こども みたいです。
Romaji: Kare wa mō hatachi desu ga, mada kodomo mitai desu.
English: He is already twenty years old, but he’s still like a child.
Example #10
事故から時間が経ちましたが、まだ危険な場所です。
Furigana: じこから じかんが たちましたが、まだ きけんな ばしょです。
Romaji: Jiko kara jikan ga tachimashita ga, mada kiken na basho desu.
English: Time has passed since the accident, but it is still a dangerous place.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Used as a complete phrase (short answer).
「まだ」 can function as a stand-alone short reply meaning “Not yet,” usually in response to a question about completion. The polite form is 「まだです」.
Example: まだです。(Mada desu.)
Combination with V-ている form for “still continuing.”
When indicating that an action is currently ongoing, まだ is combined with the V-ている (present continuous) form.
Example: まだ雨が降っています。(Mada ame ga futte imasu.)
Combination with V-ていない form for “not yet completed.”
When indicating non-completion, まだ is combined with the negative V-ていない form. This is the most common structure for “not yet.”
Example: まだ宿題をしていません。(Mada shukudai o shite imasen.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 彼はまだ寝ました。(Kare wa mada nemashita.)
✅ 使用例: 彼はまだ寝ています。(Kare wa mada nete imasu.)
「まだ」 implies a continuation or non-completion. It cannot be used with a positive past tense verb, which implies completion. Use V-て形 + います for ongoing actions.
❌ まだ時間がないです。(Mada jikan ga nai desu.) (If you mean “there is still time.”)
✅ 使用例: まだ時間があります。(Mada jikan ga arimasu.)
While often used with negative verbs for ‘not yet’, it is also commonly used with positive verbs (like あります) to indicate that something *still* exists or is available.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. The overall politeness of the sentence is determined by the final verb or copula (e.g., です/ます).
Social Situations: Used across all social settings, from casual conversation with friends to formal business discussions.
Regional Variations: The usage is standard across all Japanese regions.
🔍 Subtle Differences
まだ (Mada) vs. もう (Mō)
Mada focuses on continuation or non-completion, implying that a state or action persists. もう means “already” (completion) or “anymore” (change of state/negation).
When to use: Use まだ when you want to emphasize persistence (still) or absence (not yet). Use もう when you want to emphasize that a change has occurred or the action is finished.
まだ (Mada) vs. いま (Ima)
Mada emphasizes duration or lack of change relative to the past. Ima simply means “now” or “at this moment.”
When to use: Use まだ when the time frame is extended (e.g., “still doing it”). Use いま when referring specifically to the current moment.
📝 Conjugation Notes
As an adverb, まだ does not conjugate. However, when used to mean “not yet,” it almost always modifies a verb in the negative V-ていない form (for completed actions) or V-ません form (for non-occurrence). When meaning “still,” it modifies V-ている or adjectives.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The word is pronounced with a flat pitch (low-low) across the two syllables (ma-da). Do not put an accent on the ‘da’.
🧠 Memory Tips
To remember the core function, link Mada (まだ) to “Ma-intaining the DA-y’s state” or a continuing “Ma-tter that hasn’t been DA-ne.”
Other Grammar
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