Ella no está aquí todavía
Are "aquí" and "todavía" interchangeable? (Ella no está todavía aquí) and if it's not too much plz give an overall explanation about adverb position (in spanish) in the sentence with example. thx
2 Answers
Hi there!
Ella no está aquí todavía sounds better to me. Feels more natural to my ear.
Ella no está todavía aquí means the same. So: quick answer is yes, they're interchangeable.
I googled a bit and found this. Where you can read:
En general la posición del adverbio en la frase puede variar sin que ello afecte sustancialmente al significado: - Ayer llegó mi hermano. - Llegó ayer mi hermano. - Mi hermano llegó ayer.
Which means: "Usually (in Spanish) the position of the adverb in the sentence may vary substantially without affecting the meaning."
Saludos.
I had looked this up, though in my mind it seemed style or emphasis. I was going to post the article Relaxing cup found. I think it would also work using todavía at the start of the sentence.
Here are two articles in English as your profile shows your English is better than your Spanish.
My understanding is usually adverbs go after the verb but particularly adverbs of time the position is flexible.
I remember learning ya, aun and todavía at an early stage and finding them very useful. 'ya' in particular can be sprinkled all over the place! If you read regularly and listen you will develop a sense of when and where to place words. I also find if you read or listen to Spanish people who are learning English you will often find they place verbs, adverbs etc where they would be placed in Spanish. Sadly most of the active members here who are native speakers of Spanish have reached a level in their English where they rarely make these mistakes.
