One of the most common adverbs of time is jáalready, now , which at its core means in this moment. Like all other adverbs of time, já is always invariable. It is one of the most frequently used adverbs, and possibly one of the most confusing for non-native speakers! The meaning of já in Portuguese varies quite a bit depending on the context. Because of this, you should try to focus more on the general influence the word has on a phrase, rather than thinking of an exact translation. Let’s have a look at some of the different uses of já:
Já as Already
Perhaps considered the primary use of já, and the most straightforward one, is when it means already. Examples:
Ufa, já estou cansado.Phew, I’m already tired.
Já comeste?Have you already eaten?
Já estamos na estação.We’re at the station already.
Já as Now
Já can also mean now, especially when used with que. Examples:
Já queNow that
Já que a chuva parou, podemos ir passear.Now that it's stopped raining, we can go for a walk.
Já as Right Away
Já is also commonly used to express something you’re just about to do in a few seconds, the equivalent to right away, in a moment, or momentarily. Examples:
Volto já.I’ll be right back.
Vou já tratar dissoI’ll take care of that in a moment.
Já, já!
The double repetition of já, já is used when you really want to stress how quickly something is about to happen. It can be understood as right away, in a jiffy, or in a second (figuratively speaking).
Voltamos já, já!We’ll be back in a second!
Já as Once
A bit counterintuitively, já can also be used to refer to the past, similar to the English word once.
In certain contexts in which já is used in Portuguese, in English we would use a different verb tense entirely to impart the idea of something having once happened or having already happened.
Londres já foi uma pequena cidade.London was once a small town.
Já fui ao Brasil.I’ve been to Brazil.
Já não!
The phrase Já nãoNo more, no longer is more or less akin to not anymore, no more, or no longer, depending on the context.
Desculpe, mas hoje já não temos pão.I’m sorry, but we have no more bread today.
Já não oferecemos esse serviço.We no longer offer that service.
Já chega!
One last iteration of já is Já chega!That's enough! , which simply means enough or that’s enough!
Isso é demasiada comida! Já chega!That’s too much food! That’s enough!
Hi Rui & Joel,
This sentence, Desculpe, mas hoje já não temos pão, reminds me how much I would love to see any tips you can give with regard to both sentence structure, word order and the choice/options of adverbs vs adjective. E.g. in English we say “we have no more bread today” but in Portuguese it’s “today, no longer we have bread.” Are there principles that apply (fairly) consistently? I did a search on your site but couldn’t find a Learning Note about this. Thanks! Eliott
Hi, Eliott. I’m very sorry, seems that your comment was lost in the swirl, but it’s never too late 🙂 Consistency and Portuguese grammar seem to be in two polar opposites, sometimes, but I think it should be possible to give some pointers regarding the topics you mentioned, so thank you for your suggestion. Maybe we can cover it in an upcoming Learning Note or even discuss it all together in the forum!
I’ve heard the expression “Já está” a few times. How does it translate? Thanks!
It depends on the context, so the translation varies, but usually it’s something like “That’s it!”, “Done!”, “There you go!”, “Got it!”
Hi,
Does “já” have any specific position compared to the verb it supports? Sometimes it is in front of the verbs, other times, it stays behind them.
Thank you.
Olá. Good question! You’ll usually see it before the verb. The most flexible situation is when you use it in the sense of “right away, soon, in a moment”, where the two positions (before or after the verb) are both very common:
– Volto já / Já volto
– Saio já / Já saio
– Vou já para aí / Já vou para aí
To me, in all of these cases, the placement after the verb feels more emphatic and urgent.
In imperative sentences, it should come after the verb.
– Sai já daqui (Get out of here right now)
– Vai para o teu quarto já (Go to your room right now)
Thank you once again. Excellent and clear definitions and examples.
Amazing with the really clear audios.
In the ‘Já não’ section:
I would naturally say in English ‘she doesn’t live here anymore’ (já não mora aquí) . (‘She no longer lives here’ just sounds slightly more formal to me.)
In Spanish you can use the structure in the same ways as above with ‘ya’. You could also say ‘ya no me quedan’ – ‘I haven’t got any left’
I am not sure if you can use a similar structure in Portuguese with ‘já não me ficam’??
Olá Jill!
The examples with “no more” and “no longer” may indeed sound more formal, but it’s an easier way to show how the “já não” works.
In Portuguese you can use a similar structure as in English or Spanish but not with the verb “ficar” for this particular example! In that case would be “Já não me restam” with the verb “restar” (“remain”) or even with the verb “sobrar” (“left over”): “Já não me sobram”.
Just a clarification on why or an explanation of why: In the sentence ” agora não é uma boa altura ” Altura refers to time, but the definition refers to Height or altitude in that sense. Can you explain the meaning of time?
I don’t have much of an explanation for why, but I can confirm that altura is a word with multiple meanings, including both height/altitude and point/period of time. To see how it’s used, try searching ‘altura’ in our Translator tool and you’ll see a few sentences and phrases demonstrating both meanings.