Beginning Japanese for Professionals: Book 3

19 Oda-san, kaerimasita ka. Has Ms. Oda gone home? Ie, mada imasu. No, she is still here. Basu, kimashita ka. Did the bus come? Ie, mada kite imasen. No, it hasn’t come yet. or Mada desu. No yet. As you can see in the last example above, when the context is clear, you can just say mada alone. Mou, on the other hand, indicates that there is a change in the situation, and is often translated as ‘already’, or ‘(not) any longer’ in a negative sentence. Hirugohan, tabemasen ka. Won’t you eat lunch? Mou tabemashita. I’ve already eaten. Keeki mada arimasu ka. Is any of the cake still left? Ie, mou arimasen. No, there is no more. Do not confuse this mou with the other mou meaning ‘more.’ Note the contrast of the rising and falling intonation. Mo-U hito-tsu arimasu. We have one more. (with a rising intonation) MO-u hito-tsu arimasu. We already have one. (with a falling intonation ) Mou and mada carry a clear implication regarding a prior situation, and therefore they are not superfluous. Compare the following. Yasui desu . It’s cheap. (No implication regarding how it was before) Mada yasui desu. It’s still cheat. (It was also cheap before.) Mou yasui desu. It’s cheap now. (It was not cheap before.) Also note how mou and mada express different perspectives. This is similar to whether you see a glass half full or half empty. Consider the difference in the following. Mou 25-sai desu. I’m already 25 years old. (I’m old.) Mada 25-sai desu. I’m still 25 years old. (I’m young.) Drills and Exercises A. Cue: バス、もう来ましたか． Has the bus already come? Response: いえ、まだ来ていません。 No, it hasn’t come yet. Cue: 昼ご飯、もう食べましたか。 Have you already eaten lunch? Response: いえ、まだ食べていません。 No, I haven't eaten yet.