Non… più (not… anymore) and non… ancora (not… yet)
Reminder: there are some words that we can use in a double negative.
Non ho visto nessuno.
I did not see anyone.
Non hanno fatto niente.
They have not done anything.
Più (anymore) and ancora (still) can be used in a double negative phrase (i.e. with non at the start). We tend to use them with the perfect or past perfect tenses in the following structure: non (not) + auxiliary verb essere/avere + più/ancora + past participle.
Non… più means “not… anymore” or “no longer”.
Non è più riuscito a venire alla festa.
He was not able to come to the party anymore.
Non ha più frequentato l'università.
She no longer attended university.
Non… ancora means “not… yet”.
Non abbiamo ancora finito il progetto.
We have not yet finished the project.
Non avevano ancora preparato le valigie.
They had not yet packed their bags.
Notes:
- When we have a word like mai (ever) or già (already) in a question, we use non... ancora (not yet, still not) in the negative response. If we have ancora (still) in the question, however, we use non... più (not… anymore, no longer) in the negative response.
– Hai mai/già visto quest'opera teatrale? – No, non l'ho ancora vista.
-Have you ever/already seen this play? -No, I have not seen it yet.
– Hai ancora il libro di storia? – No, non ce l'ho più.
-Do you still have the history book? -No, I do not have it any longer.
- This structure can also be used with other tenses.
– Fai ancora volontariato? – No, non lo faccio più.
-Do you still volunteer? -No, I do not do it anymore.
Oggi ho visto Magda, non la vedevo più da un po'.
Today I saw Magda. I hadn't seen her for a while, literally, “…I was no longer seeing her since a while”.
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