_Al_ means "already", _nog_ means "still", _nog niet_ means "not yet" and _niet meer_ means "no longer". _Pas_ means "only just" or "not until": _Ik ben pas om tien uur thuis_ means I won't be home until ten. _Al_ and _pas_ also often tell your listener whether a moment feels early or late to you.
The pattern
_Al_ and _nog_ say that something has started or is still going on; _nog niet_ and _niet meer_ say the opposite. _Pas_ says that something comes later, or is less, than you might expect.
- _al_: already. In questions it also means yet: _Ben je al thuis?_ (Are you home yet?)
- _nog_: still. (_Nog_ has other jobs too, like _nog een koffie_, one more coffee.)
- _nog niet_: not yet, the negative of _al_.
- _niet meer_: no longer, not anymore, the negative of _nog_.
- _pas_: not until with a time (_pas om tien uur_), only with an amount (_Joris is pas drie_), and only just or recently with the perfect tense (_pas verhuisd_).
- Where Dutch needs [_geen_ instead of _niet_](#/lesson/geen-or-niet), you get _nog geen_ and _geen ... meer_: _Ik heb nog geen fiets. Er is geen melk meer._
- These words usually sit [in the middle of the sentence](#/lesson/adverb-position), before a participle or words like _klaar_ and _thuis_: _Ik heb al gegeten._
Examples
| Ik ben al klaar. | I'm already done. |
|---|---|
| Heb je al gegeten? | Have you eaten yet? |
| Hij slaapt nog. | He's still asleep. |
| Daan woont nog bij zijn ouders. | Daan still lives with his parents. |
| De trein is nog niet vertrokken. | The train hasn't left yet. |
| Sanne werkt niet meer bij de gemeente. | Sanne doesn't work for the municipality anymore. |
| Ik ben pas om tien uur thuis. | I won't be home until ten. |
| Fatima is pas verhuisd. | Fatima has only just moved house. |
| Het is al acht uur! | It's eight o'clock already! |
| Het is pas acht uur. | It's only eight o'clock. |
Why it works this way
Picture a moment of change: the train leaves, the soup is ready, you move house. _Al_ and _nog niet_ ask whether that change has happened yet. _Nog_ and _niet meer_ ask whether the old situation is still going on. That is why they come in pairs:
- _Ben je al klaar?_ _Nee, nog niet._ (Are you done yet? No, not yet.)
- _Woon je nog in Utrecht?_ _Nee, niet meer._ (Do you still live in Utrecht? No, not anymore.)
Remember: when your answer is no, a question with _al_ gets _nog niet_, and a question with _nog_ gets _niet meer_. A yes answer simply keeps the same word: _Ja, ik woon nog in Utrecht._
Now the feeling. At eight in the morning, Emma can say _Het is al acht uur!_ (hurry, I'm late) or _Het is pas acht uur_ (relax, there's time). Same clock, different feeling. _Al_ often suggests that something happens sooner, or that a time or number is higher, than you expected; _pas_ suggests later or lower: _Ahmed is pas twintig en heeft al een eigen bedrijf._ (Ahmed is only twenty and already has his own business.)
English says "not ... until", but Dutch usually just uses _pas_, without _niet_: _De supermarkt gaat pas om acht uur open._ German speakers can map "schon, noch, erst" onto _al_, _nog_, _pas_, but should avoid _eerst_ here, because it means first. For Spanish speakers, "ya no" is _niet meer_.
Watch out
- Not: _Ik heb gegeten al_ Say: _Ik heb al gegeten_ (_al_ goes before the participle, not at the end)
- Not: _Ik ben niet klaar nog_ Say: _Ik ben nog niet klaar_ (_nog_ comes before _niet_, and both go before _klaar_)
- Not: _Het is alleen negen uur_ Say: _Het is pas negen uur_ (_alleen_ means only in the sense of nothing else; for an early time, use _pas_)
- Not: _Ik heb nog niet kinderen_ Say: _Ik heb nog geen kinderen_ (before a noun like this, _niet_ becomes _geen_)
Quick check
- Choose _al_ or _nog niet_: _Bas heeft ... gegeten, dus hij heeft honger._
- Choose _nog_ or _niet meer_: _Lotte rookt ..., want ze is vorig jaar gestopt._
- Choose _al_ or _pas_. You want to say that the time feels early and there is no hurry: _Rustig maar, het is ... half zeven._
- Fix the sentence: _Carlos woont niet in Den Haag meer._
Answers
- _nog niet_: he hasn't eaten yet, so he's hungry.
- _niet meer_: she quit, so she no longer smokes.
- _pas_: it makes half past six feel early (_al_ would make it feel late).
- _Carlos woont niet meer in Den Haag._ (_niet meer_ goes before _in Den Haag_, not at the end.)
Use it today
Tonight, tell someone at home or a colleague three true things in Dutch: something you have already done today, something you haven't done yet, and something you no longer do. For example: _Ik heb al boodschappen gedaan_, _Ik heb nog niet gekookt_, _Ik rook niet meer_.