What The Heck Does “ya” Really Mean In Spanish? 10 Different Uses

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By Happy Hour Spanish Posted February 24, 2014 In Spanish Lessons, Spanish Vocabulary What the heck does “ya” really mean in Spanish? 10 different uses2014-02-242019-01-24https://www.happyhourspanish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/happyhour1-e1350530184509.pngHappy Hour Spanishhttps://www.happyhourspanish.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Spanish-meanings-word-ya-60x60.png200px200px 21 6

There are always a few words in any foreign language that pop up in multiple uses, and when you try to translate literally, you have a hard time understanding what it really means.”Ya” has been one of those words for me in Spanish.

When you first learn about “ya” it’s pretty straight forward. It means “already”, so “ya comí desayuno” means “I already ate breakfast”. Great. Got it. But “ya” also shows up in a number of another context where “already” just doesn’t fit well …

Check out the following examples to see all the different meanings we can make in Spanish with this little two-letter word …

1. Express Frustration / Exclamations

¡Basta ya! = Enough already! ¡Ya está! = That’s it! ¡Ya está bien! = That’s plenty! ¡Ya era hora! = It’s about time!

2. Now

Ya está aquí = She is here now

3. Right now

Tienes que llamar ya = You have to call right now Lo quiero ya = I want it right now

4. Anymore

Ya no fumo = I don’t smoke anymore Ya no duele = It doesn’t hurt anymore

5. Added emphasis

Ya entiendo = I get it Ya lo sé = I know!

6. Yet

¿La cena ya está? = Is dinner ready yet?

7. Pointing out something with emphasis

Ya que no llueve, podríamos ir a dar un paseo = Being as it’s not raining, we could go for a walk

8. Reassurance

Ya verás como todo va bien = You will see that everything will go well

9. Later (in the future)

Ya lo haré = I will do it later

10. Unbelieving/incredulous

¡Ya ya! = Yeah, sure!

So ya está! That’s it for this lesson! Now you’re equipped to use this two-letter word in lots of different contexts!

common errors

Happy Hour Spanish Hayley & Maider are co-founders of Happy Hour Spanish, an online Spanish Program utilizing original video content and local meetups for a true Spanish immersion experience. Together they speak English, Spanish, French, and Italian and have a passion for teaching and learning languages. Recommended Posts

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Showing 6 comments

David Kingsley March 16, 2015 Reply
While listening to my Spanish lesson, he said “ya tu esposo tambien”. Looking at your examples of “ya”, I didn’t see where it fits in. Is this correct or did I hear it wrong?
- Daniela December 1, 2015 Reply
  I speak spanish and “Ya tu esposo también” is not correct. It would be ” Y a tu esposo también” which means And also to your husband 🙂 This spanish lesson is good. Greetings from Peru 😉
  - Arlette April 19, 2016 Reply
    I thinks it’s okay. It could mean “ok your husband too” to refer that they are going somewhere and her husband is going as well even though at first they maybe didn’t want him to come.
Eric Holden December 4, 2016 Reply
Can “ya” mean okay? I was watching a tv show in Spanish, and the guy said “ya” but it translated to “okay.” Is that wrong?
- Happy Hour Spanish December 6, 2016 Reply
  ¡Sí Eric! Many Spanish speakers just use ‘ya’ on it’s own to mean ‘ok’, much like how in Spain they use ‘vale’ to mean the same thing. It stems from a short version of ‘ya lo sé’. Good catch on the tv show 😉
ken rushe July 22, 2019 Reply
Excelente. Muchas gracias.

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