Spanish has a variety of words that change their meaning depending on the context in which they’re used. Ya in Spanish is one of these. This tiny word is surprisingly versatile, carrying with it great powers to qualify when something happened within the timeframe of our discussion.

In today’s post, we will cover the various uses of ya in Spanish to refer to nuances in time. In addition, we offer a handy list of useful ya expressions you can use to sound more like native speaker.

So, let’s start now! – ¡Comencemos, ya!

Ya is a word that can function as an adverb (for intensifying the meaning of the verb) or within a locution (multi-word expressions with their own meanings, according to the context). Also, we can find it as a colloquialism (an informal way that we use between relatives or friends) or in a formal way (mostly in imperative form when our boss asks us to do something).

Probably, you have heard someone say in Spanish ¿ya estás listo? (are you ready?), or ¡ya voy! (I’m coming!). If you are learning Spanish, this could be a little tricky to understand initially.

In English, ya can be equivalent to already, now, anymore, right now, finally, since, and more. However, changes in the translations depend on the context itself. With all this in mind, let’s see the different ways to use the Spanish ya.

Past events in time

Eventos en el pasado

Ya is the direct translation of already in Spanish. We use ya to indicate that an action is complete. For example, it’s common to use ya in a question to ask if a specific action has already been completed.

Although you might not use already all the time because it may sound awkward or too repetitive, ya is used frequently in Spanish. Here are some examples of how to apply ya:

• I already bought the apartment I told you about. – Ya compré el apartamento del que te hablé.

• My sister and I already saw that movie. –  Mi hermana y yo ya vimos esa película.

• Have you already cleaned the house? – ¿Ya has limpiado la casa?

• They have already studied for their exam. – Ellos ya estudiaron para su examen.

Immediately, Right now, Right away

Inmediatamente, ahora mismo, de inmediato

In this case, ya expresses that something is happening or something is necessary at the moment. Also, we use it when we want someone to do something right away without wasting time or to answer when someone is calling us. For example, at work when the person in charge gives orders to others, or when our mom calls us to do something.

• Have you already sent the documents to be processed in administration? – ¿Ya enviaste los documentos para ser procesados en administración?

• I need the sales report. I want it right away. – Necesito el informe de ventas. Lo quiero para ya.

• I want you to come now, I’m waiting for you in the park. – Quiero que vengas ya, te estoy esperando en el parque.

• Come pick up your toys right now! / I’m coming, mom. – ¡Ven a recoger tus juguetes ya! / Ya voy, mamá.

Past + Present

Pasado y presente

We can connect the present with the past using ya. It acts as a bridge, bringing the actions of past and present together.

• The cake was delicious yesterday, but today it doesn’t taste so good. – La torta estaba rica ayer, pero hoy ya no sabe tan bien.

• As a child I was overweight, but now I have a new image. – De niño tenía sobrepeso, pero ya tengo una nueva imagen.

• We were five people at home, but we’re three at this point since two of my children got married. – Éramos cinco personas en casa, pero ya somos tres desde que dos de mis hijos se casaron.

• I’ve hated you all this time for what you did to me, but enough is enough. – Te he odiado todo este tiempo por lo que me hiciste, pero ya es suficiente.

Future events

Eventos a futuro

This use of ya in Spanish is for talking about events in the future. Here, we know that the events or situations will occur eventually.

• I will also attend the congress in Medellin, so we will see each other during the event. – Yo también asistiré al congreso en Medellín, así que ya nos veremos durante el evento.

• Now there is no money to repair the fridge. That will be done next month. – Ahora no hay dinero para reparar la nevera. Ya se hará eso el próximo mes.

• I will think about that later. Right now, I just want to relax. – Ya pensaré eso más tarde. En este momento solo quiero relajarme.

• Hurry Diego! You will do your homework when we get back from the supermarket. – ¡Apúrate, Diego! Ya harás tu tarea cuando regresemos del supermercado.

Finally, Ultimately

Finalmente, a la larga

In this case, the Spanish ya is used to mark the point where we finally make up our mind or make a decision. Either we finally did it, or we are going to do it ultimately.

• I’ve given this problem a lot of thought, it is time to solve it. – Le he dado muchas vueltas a este problema, ya es hora de resolverlo.

• We have been at war for too long. It is time to make peace. – Hemos estado en guerra por demasiado tiempo, ya es hora de hacer las paces.

• It is time to expand the company to the Asian market. That will give us more dividends. – Ya es hora de expandir la empresa al mercado asiático. Eso nos dará más dividendos.

• We already have to know what will happen if we [ultimately] decide to move to another state. – Ya tenemos que saber lo que va a ocurrir si decidimos mudarnos a otro estado.

Agreement / Understanding, Surprise / Incredulity

Acuerdo / Entendimiento, Sorpresa / Incredulidad

In this case, we use ya for expressing agreement, understanding, surprise, or suspicion when someone makes a comment about someone else, an event, or a situation.

Note that sometimes when we use ya in Spanish, there’s not really an English equivalent in the translation. It really comes down to an emphatic tone to underline the agreement or surprise:

• I know, but now I don’t need your help! – ¡Ya sé! pero ahora no necesito tu ayuda.

• I totally understand what you’re saying. The neighbors in this neighborhood indeed have bad tempers. – Ya entiendo lo que dices. Los vecinos en este vecindario sí que tienen mal carácter.

• Santiago, I’m talking to you. Are you listening to me? / Yes, oh, sure! I hear you better. – Santiago, estoy hablando contigo. ¿Me estás escuchando? / Si, ya, ya, ahora te escucho mejor.

• I’m telling you, the new Batman movie is fantastic! You should see it. – ¡Ya te digo! La nueva película de Batman es fantástica, deberías verla.

As a Distributive Conjunction

Como conjunción distributiva

A distributive conjunction is a grammatical element that allows us to alternate the elements within sentences. With this in mind, if you want to cycle between situations or events, this use of ya is the best choice. This is best explained using some examples:

• My cousin was hospitalized for two weeks. Fortunately, he is already conscious. He already receives visitors. – Mi primo estuvo hospitalizado por dos semanas. Afortunadamente, ya está consciente, ya recibe visitas.

• My kitten is three months old and already walks, already meows. – Mi gatito tiene tres meses y ya camina, ya maúlla.

• I will make repairs in my apartment, and luckily I already have the money, and I already got the materials. – Haré reparaciones en mi apartamento y por suerte ya tengo el dinero, y ya conseguí los materiales.

• Today’s weather is horrible, the sun is out again, it‘s starting to rain. We won’t be able to go to the beach. – El clima de hoy es horrible, ya sale el sol otra vez, ya comienza a llover. Así no podremos ir a la playa.

Questions with Ya and Todavía

Preguntas con Ya and Todavía

When we form questions in Spanish using ya, the answer requires the use of todavía no if the action is not complete yet.

Likewise for questions formed with todavía, we use ya no in our answer.

This rule applies only to negative contexts where actions are incomplete or unfinished. Let’s see this in action:

• Have you already bought the album? / No, I haven’t bought it yet. – ¿Ya has comprado el disco? / No, todavía no lo he comprado.

• Diego, have you finished cleaning your room already? / No, I still need to clean the bookshelf. – Diego, ¿ya terminaste de limpiar tu cuarto? / No, todavía me falta limpiar el estante de los libros.

• Do you still live with your parents? / No, not anymore. I became independent last year. – ¿Todavía vives con tus padres? / No, ya no. Me independicé el año pasado.

• Are you still working at IBM? / No longer. I quit two years ago. – ¿Todavía sigues trabajando en IBM? / Ya no. Renuncié hace dos años.

Expressions with Ya in Spanish

Expresiones con Ya en Español

Now that we’ve covered the different uses of ya on its own, let’s learn some important expressions that use ya in Spanish and see how they work.

Ya no

We use ya no to refer to an action that triggered a change.

• Raúl no longer smokes. He has decided what is best for his health. – Raúl ya no fuma. Ha decidido que es lo mejor para su salud.

• Due to health problems, Cristina no longer attends her dance classes. – Debido a problemas de salud, Cristina ya no asiste a sus clases de danza.

• Do you still study Spanish? No, I no longer take Spanish classes due to work. – ¿Sigues estudiando español? No, ya no tomo clases de español debido al trabajo.

• I can no longer live in this house, so it is best to separate. – Ya no puedo seguir viviendo en esta casa, así que lo mejor es separarnos.

Ya que

With ya que, we express the reason or cause of a situation or event.

• It has stopped raining, so now that the sun is out, we can go for a walk in the park. – Ha dejado de llover, entonces, ya que salió el sol podemos ir de paseo al parque.

• I don’t want to continue working here since my relationship with the others is not very good. – No quiero seguir trabajando aquí, ya que mi relación con los demás no es muy buena.

• It is important that you make the right decision since you will only have one chance. – Es importante que tomes la decisión correcta, ya que solo tendrás una oportunidad.

• Since you’ve come all this way, stay for dinner. – Ya que has venido hasta aquí, quédate para cenar.

Ya sea

Ya sea is used to express alternatives. Sea is the present subjunctive conjugation of the verb ser, so if you’re referring to multiple objects among the alternatives you’ll need to conjugate it in the plural: ya sean.

• If you are going to buy fruit, bring apples, whether red or green. – Si vas a comprar frutas trae manzanas, ya sean rojas o verdes.

• Choose a university career that makes you happy, be it science or be it humanities. – Elige una carrera universitaria que te haga feliz, ya sea ciencias o ya sea humanidades.

• I have space in my new apartment, and I want to have pets, either a cat or a dog or both. – Tengo espacio en mi nuevo apartamento y quiero tener mascotas, ya sea un gato, ya sea un perro o ambos.

• Raul and Elvira are determined to marry, either this year or next. – Raul y Elvira están decididos a casarse, ya sea este año, ya sea el próximo.

More ya expressions

Finally, we’ll leave you with a nice list of additional expressions using ya in Spanish. These all have fairly straightforward English translations, so you should be able to use them in similar contexts.

Conclusion

Well, that covers today’s topic! You’re now familiar with a wide variety of contexts where you can use ya in Spanish, as well as a bunch of ya expressions.

I know that may have seemed like a lot of material, but don’t worry this is one of those words that you’ll hear and use so much that with this introduction you’re well on your way to catching the different nuances of timing whenever we use the Spanish ya.

Keep practicing and you’ll be using ya in your own sentences just like a native speaker! To get you started, we’ll leave you with some exercises. ¡Comencemos, ya!

Ya in Spanish: Exercises

Fill in the blank with one of the ya expressions we learned in this post. In many cases, the right word is simply ya.

1. Ve a hacer tu _____, y no salgas de tu cuarto hasta que la termines.

– Go and do your homework now, and don’t leave your room until you finish it.

2. ¿Estás seguro de lo que escuchaste? _____ Él siempre fue tan responsable. Me siento decepcionada.

– Are you sure what you heard? No way! He was always so responsible. I feel disappointed.

3. _____ es hora de comercializar nuestro productos en el mercado internacional.

– It is time to market our products in the international market.

4. Han pasado 10 años y _____ llegó el momento de seguir adelante con mi vida.

– It’s been 10 years, and it’s time to move on with my life.

5. ¿_____ enviaste el informe de producción de este mes? _____ no, estoy esperando las correcciones del director de finanzas.

– Have you already sent this month’s production report? Not yet. I’m waiting for corrections from the finance director.

6. Tienes que elegir el tema para tu tesis, _____ sobre arte moderno o sobre arte renacentista.

– You have to choose the topic for your thesis, either modern art or renaissance art.

7. _____ hemos decidido el destino de nuestro próximo viaje, es momento de comprar los boletos de avión.

– Now that we have decided the destination of our next trip, it is time to buy the plane tickets.

8. Mi hija ya tiene dos años, así que _____ camina, _____ come sola.

– My daughter is already two years old, so she already walks, she already eats alone.

9. En este momento solo quiero dormir, _____ recogeré los libros cuando despierte.

– I just want to sleep at the moment, I’ll pick up the books when I wake up.

10. Este año _____ he ido al médico dos veces. _____ es suficiente para mí.

– This year, I have already been to the doctor twice. That’s enough for me.

Answers

1. Ve a hacer tu tarea ya, y no salgas de tu cuarto hasta que la termines.

– Go and do your homework now, and don’t leave your room until you finish it.

2. ¿Estás seguro de lo que escuchaste? ¡Anda ya! Él siempre fue tan responsable. Me siento decepcionada.

– Are you sure what you heard? No way! He was always so responsible. I feel disappointed.

3. Ya es hora de comercializar nuestro productos en el mercado internacional.

– It is time to market our products in the international market.

4. Han pasado 10 años y ya llegó el momento de seguir adelante con mi vida.

– It’s been 10 years, and it’s time to move on with my life.

5. ¿Ya enviaste el informe de producción de este mes? Todavía no, estoy esperando las correcciones del director de finanzas.

– Have you already sent this month’s production report? Not yet. I’m waiting for corrections from the finance director.

6. Tienes que elegir el tema para tu tesis, ya sea sobre arte moderno o arte renacentista.

– You have to choose the topic for your thesis, either modern art or renaissance art.

7. Ya que hemos decidido el destino de nuestro próximo viaje, es momento de comprar los boletos de avión.

– Now that we have decided the destination of our next trip, it is time to buy the plane tickets.

8. Mi hija ya tiene dos años, así que ya camina, ya come sola.

– My daughter is already two years old, so she already walks, she already eats alone.

9. En este momento solo quiero dormir, ya recogeré los libros cuando despierte.

– I just want to sleep at the moment, I’ll pick up the books when I wake up.

10. Este año ya he ido al médico dos veces. Ya es suficiente para mí.

– This year, I have already been to the doctor twice, and that’s enough for me.