Still vs Yet vs Already in English: Choose the Word by Checking the Status
It is 4:40 on a Thursday. A manager types into the team chat: “Did anyone send the client the price sheet?” Three people answer within a minute.
Ravi: “I’m still adding the last page.”
Lena: “I haven’t sent it yet.”
Omar: “I’ve already sent it.”
All three answers are correct English. But the manager now does three different things. She waits for Ravi, because the sheet is not finished. She asks Lena to send it, because the sheet is ready and nothing has happened. She tells the client to check the inbox, because Omar’s email is already there.
(Sentences in italics are written for this page. Sentences in “curly marks” are from the Real English Notes podcast episode on this topic.)
Learners often try to choose among still, yet and already by memorizing three definitions. Paul and Emily go the other way in their episode, and it is the idea this lesson follows: “The useful question is not, ‘Which word is similar?’ The useful question is, “What is the status right now?”” Emily’s reply is the whole method in four words: “Status first, word second.”
One message, three statuses
Look again at the team chat. The task never changes. Only the status changes.
| Status of the task | What the speaker says | What the listener should do |
|---|---|---|
| The work is going on now | I’m still adding the last page. | Wait, or ask how long |
| The result has not happened up to now | I haven’t sent it yet. | Decide who sends it |
| The result happened before now | I’ve already sent it. | Stop asking, check the inbox |
The podcast opens with the same idea, using a poster. Paul asks if the poster has been sent, and Emily gives three answers by changing one word. First, “I’m still working on it.” Then, “I’ve already sent the poster.” And last, “I haven’t sent it yet.” Paul’s summary: “Three short updates, three different pictures.”
That is why the order matters. If you choose the word first, you force the sentence to fit it. If you look at the situation first, the word is easy.
The three-question check
Ask these questions in this order. They take two seconds once you know them.
| Question | If yes | Typical pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is it still going on now? | Use still | I’m still working. / Are you still waiting? |
| 2. Did I expect it by now, and has it not happened? | Use not … yet | I haven’t finished yet. / Have you finished yet? |
| 3. Did it happen before now? | Use already | I’ve already finished. |
The hosts put the same three questions in their closing review, and they add a warning that is easy to forget: “context decides the exact tense and tone.” These are reliable A2 patterns, not the only uses these words have in English.
Still: nothing has changed yet
Still tells the listener that a situation or activity goes on. The episode gives plain examples: “I’m still waiting.” “She still lives there.” “We’re still checking the list.” In all three, it began before now and continues now.
One point from the episode is worth a second look. Still does not mean the speaker is annoyed. Emily says: “The word itself does not automatically mean frustration.” The feeling comes from the situation and the voice, and the word only reports that the situation continues.
Where it goes. In a simple status update, put still after am/is/are and before the -ing verb: I’m still working. We’re still waiting. Paul says that “I still am working is possible with special emphasis,” but the natural version is “I’m still working.” In a question, still sits between the subject and the verb: “Are you still working on the poster?”
What it cannot do. Still needs something that continues. Emily’s trap in the episode is a good one: someone asks Have you printed the signs yet? and gets the answer “I still printed the signs.” That does not report anything. Printing is either finished (I’ve already printed them), going on (I’m still printing them), or not done (I haven’t printed them yet).
Editorial note (not from the podcast): this lesson is about work and task updates. If you want still for things in your life that have not changed, such as a job or a home, see How to Give a Clear Life Update in English.
Not … yet: the result has not arrived
Yet looks at the time up to now. In a question it asks whether the change has happened, and in a negative sentence it says the change has not happened. Paul explains both sides: “The question asks whether the change has happened. The negative answer says it has not happened up to now.”
Three patterns cover most of what you need:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Question | “Have you booked the room yet?” |
| Negative answer | “No, I haven’t sent it yet.” |
| Short answer plus a reason | “Not yet. I’m still checking the address.” |
Where it goes. At the end: “I haven’t checked it yet.” Emily calls this “a strong A2 pattern to keep”. Notice how many wrong versions put yet in the middle or in a positive statement, which the repair table below shows.
Add a detail when the listener needs it. The short answer Not yet. is correct, but it leaves your listener with a question. The episode’s upgrade adds one reason or one plan: “Not yet. I’ll do it after lunch.” Now the other person knows both the status and the next step.
Already: it has happened before now
Already says the result is complete. The hosts add a side effect: “Often there is a feeling of ‘sooner than expected’ or “you don’t need to do that now,” but context decides how strong that feeling is.” Their example saves some paper: “Don’t print the posters. I’ve already printed them.”
Where it goes. After have/has in the everyday model: “I’ve already checked it.” Paul and Emily mention that I already have checked it is possible with emphasis, but they want “the clean everyday version”.
Editorial note (not from the podcast): in casual American English, many speakers also say I already sent it with a simple past verb. The podcast teaches the have form first, and it is the safest choice for an A2-B1 update at work, so use that one until the other feels natural.
Already in a question. Have you already finished? is possible, and the hosts keep it separate from the neutral version. Emily says it “often carries more surprise or an expectation that finishing might be early.” They set up a clear time frame. At 9:15, with the event at noon, Paul asks “Have you already finished all the name cards?” At 11:30, the same check sounds like this: “Have you finished the name cards yet?” Paul calls that one “more neutral”.
So yet and already are not simply the negative and positive twin of each other. Both can appear in questions, but the speaker’s expectation is different. Keep that as a useful extra, not a rule you must apply every time.
If you share small chores with someone, Short Replies for Sharing Tasks in English covers short answers like I already did it and I was just about to.
Yet and still: two ways to describe one gap
There is a pair in the client-meeting scene that shows how the words work together. The client has not answered. The hosts’ model sequence goes from “Have they replied yet?” to “Not yet.” and then to “So we’re still waiting.”
Both are true. Emily explains why: yet “focuses on the missing result”, while still “focuses on the continuing situation”. Choose the one that matches what you want the listener to notice. If you want to stress what is missing, use They haven’t replied yet. If you want to stress that the waiting goes on, use We’re still waiting.
The most useful update puts both in one sentence. The episode gives three:
- “I’m still checking the numbers, so I haven’t sent the report yet.”
- “I’m still packing, so I haven’t called the taxi yet.”
- “I’m still writing the email. I haven’t sent it yet.”
Each one has the same shape: I’m still [activity], so I haven’t [result] yet. The first half tells the reason, and the second half tells what is missing.
When the work is finished, the update changes shape: “I’ve already checked the numbers, so you can send the report.” Emily’s comment is the real reason these words matter: “The status changes what the other person can do.”
When new information changes the status
A status is not permanent. Midway through the client-meeting scene, Emily says she has not emailed the meeting link to Jordan, and Paul admits he has not either. Emily tells him to check the calendar before he sends anything, and he finds that “Jordan has already accepted the calendar invitation.” The link is inside it. A minute earlier, not yet made the task look unfinished. With new information, the result is complete in another way, and no second email is needed.
If you work with other people, this is the most useful lesson of the three words. Say haven’t … yet when you do not know that the result exists somewhere. When someone shows you that it does, update at once: Oh, it’s already there. Thanks, I won’t send another one.
Fix these lines
Here are the broken sentences from the episode, with the repair that matches each meaning. Cover the right column and try each one first.
| Broken line | What the speaker means | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| “I am working yet.” | The work continues | “I’m still working.” |
| “I didn’t finish already.” | Not finished up to now | “I haven’t finished yet.” |
| “I have finished yet.” | It is complete | “I’ve already finished.” |
| “Are you yet working on it?” | Does the activity continue? | “Are you still working on it?” |
| “I already am waiting for the water.” | The waiting continues | “I’m still waiting for the water.” |
| “I’m already waiting for twenty minutes.” | The waiting continues | “I’m still waiting. It’s been twenty minutes.” |
| “You still finished?” | Surprise that it is done early | “You’ve already finished?” |
| “I still do it.” | The action continues | “I’m still doing it.” |
One more case is about meaning, not grammar. I’m still sending the email is correct, but sending usually takes a second. Emily’s conclusion: “Good language needs a sensible situation, not only correct grammar.” The natural line is the pair from earlier: “I’m still writing the email. I haven’t sent it yet.”
Three drills with answers
Drill 1: Read the status. Choose the best sentence for each situation.
- The room was booked yesterday. (We’re still booking the room. / We haven’t booked the room yet. / We’ve already booked the room.)
- Paul started checking the guest list twenty minutes ago and is checking it now. (He’s still checking the guest list. / He hasn’t checked the guest list yet. / He’s already checking the guest list.)
- The food order was expected today, and nobody has placed it. (We haven’t placed the food order yet. / We’re still placing the food order. / We’ve already placed the food order.)
- You expected Maya to send a file and it has not arrived. (Maya still sent it. / Maya hasn’t sent it yet. / Maya has already sent it.)
- Written for this page. Your friend asks if you have had lunch. You are eating right now. (I haven’t had lunch yet. / I’m still having lunch. / I’ve already had lunch.)
- Written for this page. Your boss asks if the report is done. You finished it at two. (I’m still writing it. / I haven’t finished it yet. / I’ve already finished it.)
Answers to Drill 1
- We’ve already booked the room. It happened before now.
- He’s still checking the guest list. The activity began earlier and continues.
- We haven’t placed the food order yet. It was expected and has not happened.
- Maya hasn’t sent it yet. The file was expected up to now.
- I’m still having lunch. You are eating right now.
- I’ve already finished it. It was complete at two.
Drill 2: Build the two-part update. For each pair of facts, write one sentence in the shape I’m still …, so I haven’t … yet. Then add a next step if you can.
a. You are writing a message. The message is not sent.
b. You are cleaning the kitchen. Dinner is not on the table.
c. You are waiting for a reply from the client. You have not booked the room.
Model answers to Drill 2
a. I’m still writing the message, so I haven’t sent it yet. I’ll send it in ten minutes.
b. I’m still cleaning the kitchen, so I haven’t put the dinner on the table yet.
c. I’m still waiting for the client’s reply, so I haven’t booked the room yet.
Your words can differ. Check the shape: still for the activity, yet at the end for the missing result.
Drill 3: Three lines about your real day. Think of three ordinary tasks. Write one line with still, one with yet and one with already. The hosts’ reminder: “Keep the lines true to your real situation.”
A model set
I’m still answering emails. I haven’t had lunch yet. I’ve already paid the bill.
These are the sample lines from the episode. Yours should be about your own tasks, and you can check each one by asking the three questions from earlier.
A status update to try
The episode ends with a speaking task of about 45 to 75 seconds, with six to ten short sentences. Imagine you and another person are preparing for something that starts soon: a class, a family dinner, a study session, a trip or a work call. Your update needs one thing that is still going on, one expected thing that has not happened yet, one thing that has already happened, and a next step.
A short model from the episode: “I’m still checking the guest list. I haven’t printed it yet. I’ve already booked the room, and we’ve already sent the main invitation. We’re still waiting for one volunteer to reply. I haven’t prepared the name cards yet, so I’ll do that after I print the list.”
Say it once, then say it again and cut any line that does not help the listener see what is going on, unfinished or complete. Emily’s advice for the second version applies: you use only the line that matches the real status.
The status check to carry with you
- Is it still going on? I’m still … / Are you still …?
- Did I expect it by now, and it has not happened? I haven’t … yet. / Have you … yet?
- Did it happen before now? I’ve already …
- Do I need to give the listener a next step? Add one short reason or plan.
- Did new information change the picture? Update the status out loud.
Paul’s one-line version is the best one to remember: “Start with the status.”
Hear it in a real conversation
Want to hear Paul and Emily work through the event preparation, the birthday dinner and the client-meeting problem? Listen with the Show Note: Still, Yet or Already? Give Clear Status Updates in English.