まだ〜ませんでした vs まだ〜ていません (mada ~masen deshita vs mada ~te imasen) :JLPT Grammar

[Student’s sentence]

 

朝ごはんをまだ食べませんでした。
I have not eaten breakfast yet.

*あさごはんをまだたべませんでした。

 






 

[My correction]

 

朝ごはんをまだ食べませんでした
→朝ごはんをまだ食べていません
I have not eaten breakfast yet.

 

まだ means that an action or event has not yet been completed. Using まだ suggests that breakfast time is still ongoing, and you still have the opportunity to eat. Therefore, we don’t use the past tense 食べませんでした with まだ, but instead, we use the present progressive tense 食べていません.

If you mean to say “I didn’t eat breakfast today,” you should say 朝ごはんを食べませんでした without まだ, indicating that the time for breakfast has already passed.

 

Examples:

明日(あした)までのレポートがまだ終(お)わっていません
I have not finished the report due by tomorrow yet. (There is still time.)

 

その映画(えいが)はまだ見(み)ていません
I haven’t seen that movie yet. (There is still an opportunity to see it.)

 

In the JLPT course, each lesson includes homework. Submit your homework, and I’ll provide corrections. I’ll break down Japanese grammar, highlighting mistakes and explaining structures and nuances in a simple way. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need—I’m here to help you understand!