Quick answer
Ещё = still, more, another. Уже́ = already. Negated, they cross over: ещё не = not yet, уже́ не = no longer.
The four combinations
| Russian | English | Means |
|---|---|---|
| Он ещё здесь. | He is still here. | continuing |
| Он уже́ здесь. | He is already here. | arrived |
| Он ещё не здесь. | He is not here yet. | not started |
| Он уже́ не здесь. | He is no longer here. | finished |
This square is worth memorising as a block. English “not yet” and “no longer” map onto ещё не and уже́ не exactly, and getting them the wrong way round reverses your meaning.
ещё in its other jobs
Ещё does far more work than “still”: more, another, else, yet. At a table Ещё? alone means “would you like more?”.
уже́ with a question
Уже́? on its own expresses surprise — “already?”. And in a question it often carries a hint of expectation: Ты уже́ сде́лал? — have you done it yet? The negative answer is Нет, ещё не сде́лал — using the other word, as the square predicts.
The stress on уже́
Always on the second syllable: уже́. There is a different word у́же with first-syllable stress, which means “narrower” — the comparative of у́зкий. Another pair where only the stress distinguishes them.
Typical mistakes
Он уже́ не пришёл — meaning “hasn’t come yet”
Он ещё не пришёл.
уже́ не means “no longer”.
Я ещё сде́лал.
Я уже́ сде́лал.
A completed action takes уже́.
Check yourself
How do you say “he hasn’t come yet”?