まだ details
still + write
mada kaku
still; and with ていない, not yet — the situation has not flipped
meaning: still going to write
慌てなくていいよ。まだ間に合う。
awatenakute ii yo. mada maniau.
No need to rush. We're still going to make it in time. casual
時間はまだ十分あります。
jikan wa mada juubun arimasu.
There is still plenty of time. neutral
Examples
still — the state or act carries on past the point where it might have stopped
慌てなくていいよ。まだ間に合う。
awatenakute ii yo. mada ma ni au.
No need to rush. We're still going to make it in time. casual
時間はまだ十分あります。
jikan wa mada juubun arimasu.
There is still plenty of time. neutral
not yet — with ていない, the expected change has not happened so far
ごはん、まだ食べてない。
gohan, mada tabetenai.
I haven't eaten yet. casual
申し込みの返事はまだ来ていません。
moushikomi no henji wa mada kite imasen.
The reply to my application hasn't arrived yet. neutral
検査の結果はまだ確認できておりません。
kensa no kekka wa mada kakunin dekite orimasen.
We have not yet been able to confirm the test results. formal
Formation
まだ{V}attaches to dictionary formまだ{V-te}いないattaches to て-form
Notes
concedes a comparison: こっちのほうがまだましだ, "the better of two bad
options".
Related patterns
Similar
Both report a state still in force, but ずっと measures the span behind it and まだ only says the change has not come — ずっと待っている calls the waiting long, まだ待っている merely says it is not over.
Opposite
- もうalready-vs-not-yet
The two split one timeline at the change point — もう食べた reports the change complete, まだ食べていない reports it pending — and the pairing survives negation crossed over, since もう食べない ("not any more") answers まだ食べる ("still going to eat").
Lookalikes
One vowel apart and both stand before the verb, but また counts a repeat and まだ says the situation is unchanged — また来た says the person came a second time, まだ来ていない that they have not come at all yet.