Today’s Spanish word of the day is “ya”.
It’s an adverb that usually translates as “already” or “now”.
In negative phrases starting with “ya no…”, it means “anymore”. For example, “ya no quiero ir” means “I don’t want to go anymore”.
The word “ya” comes from Latin iam, which also meant “already” or “now”. Interestingly, this word shares the same Proto-Indo-European root as the archaic English word “yea”, meaning “yes”, “thus” or “so”, as well as the German word “ja”, meaning “yes”.
In Spanish the word “ya” is sometimes used to express agreement or understanding, a bit like saying “yes” or “ok”.
Example sentences
Ya es tarde, debemos irnos.
It’s already late, we should leave.
¿Ya comiste?
Did you already eat?
Ya lo sé.
I already know.
¡Ya basta!
Enough already!
Ya no quiero hablar de eso.
I don’t want to talk about that anymore.
Common phrases using the word “ya”
Here are a few common Spanish phrases using the word “ya”:
- ¡Ya basta! – Enough already!
- Ya está – It’s done/ready.
- Ya mismo – Right now/immediately.
- Ya verás – You’ll see.
- Ya sabes – As you already know.
- Ya te dije – I already told you.
