Voices en Español

At least once a week I will post tips that will cover Spanish grammar or useful expressions in Spanish. The section will be called “Get it Right!” in the Voices en Español archives so that you can quickly find these tips on this blog in the future.

The first entry in this series is the word “ya.” It only has two letters but it is a powerhouse of a word in Spanish. For many English speakers it can seem confusing when to use ya because it is a word whose meaning can change depending on the tone of voice with which it is said and whether the verb attached to it is in the past, present or future tense.
Here’s a general rule of thumb:

ya + present tense = ahora, ahora mismo (In other words, “now,” or an emphatic “right now!” depending on tone of voice and context.)

ya voy = I’m coming!!
Tenemos que irnos ya = We have to leave right now.

ya + past tense = already (when making a statements), yet (when asking a question)

Ya he leido ese libro = I’ve already read that book.
¿Ya has comido? = Have you eaten yet? Have you already eaten?

ya + future tense = later, soon

Ya te lo contaré = I’ll tell you about it later
Ya nos veremos = We’ll see each other later. We’ll see each other soon.

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There are other forms of ya, such as…..

ya que which means “since” or “because”
Ya que te niegas a darme el dinero, tengo que pedir un préstamo. (Since you refuse to give me the money, I have to take out a loan.)

ya está which means “done” or “finished”
Cariño, no olvides de enviar el cheque esta tarde. (Honey, don’t forget to mail the check this afternoon.)
Ya está. Ya lo mandé. (Done. I sent it already.)

ya no which means “no longer, not anymore.”
Ya no voy al gimnasio porque no tengo tiempo. I no longer go to the gym because I don’t have time. Which is true! Too busy trying to get the initial podcasts finished.