Genki Grammar #58: Mastering “mou – mashita” and “mada – teimasen”

Introduction

In this blog post, we will learn how to use “mou – mashita” and “mada – teimasen” in Japanese. These phrases help you express whether something has already been done or not yet done, similar to the English “have already” and “have not yet.” Let’s explore how to use them in simple sentences.

What It Means

• もう～ました (mou – mashita): This phrase means “have already…” and is used with the past tense of a verb to indicate that an action has been completed.
• まだ～していません (mada – shiteimasen): This phrase means “have not… yet” and is used with the present continuous negative form to indicate that an action has not been completed yet.

When You Use It

Use these phrases to talk about actions that have been completed or are yet to be completed. They help you express the current status of an action.

Examples

1. もう～ました (mou – mashita)
   • きのう宿題をしました。(Kinou shukudai o shimashita.) – I did the homework yesterday.
     • This sentence uses the past tense to indicate a specific action that occurred at a specific time in the past.
   • もう宿題をしました。(Mou shukudai o shimashita.) – I have already done the homework.
     • This sentence uses the past tense with もう (already) to indicate that the action has been completed and has relevance to the present moment.
2. まだ～していません (mada – shiteimasen)

1. きのう宿題をしませんでした。(Kinou shukudai o shimasen deshita.) – I didn’t do the homework yesterday.
   • This sentence uses the past negative tense to describe an action that was not done at a specific time in the past.
2. まだ宿題をしていません。(Mada shukudai o shiteimasen.) – I have not done the homework yet.
   • This sentence uses まだ (not yet) with the present continuous negative form to indicate that the action has not been completed up to the present moment.

Note

• Use もう～ました (mou – mashita) for actions that are already completed.
• Use まだ～していません (mada – shiteimasen) for actions that are not yet completed. The negative past tense is used for actions not done in the past, while the present continuous negative form indicates that the action is still not done.
• If someone asks “もう宿題をしましたか。(Mou shukudai o shimashita ka?)” which means “Have you already done your homework?”, you can answer “いいえ、まだ（宿題を）していません。(Iie, mada (shukudai o) shiteimasen.)” meaning “No, I haven’t done it yet.” or simply “まだです。(Mada desu.)” which means “Not yet.”

Conclusion

By mastering “mou – mashita” and “mada – teimasen,” you can effectively communicate the completion status of actions in Japanese.