déjà, jamais, pas encore
Three adverbs that say where an event sits relative to now. They go between the auxiliary and the participle, not at the end.
| déjà | already | J'ai déjà mangé. |
|---|---|---|
| ne … jamais | never | Je n'ai jamais visité Lyon. |
| ne … pas encore | not yet | Je n'ai pas encore fini. |
| encore | still, again | Il a encore oublié ! |
Position is the part to drill. English lets you say I have eaten already; French does not put the adverb after the participle:
- ✅ J'ai déjà fini.
- ❌ J'ai fini déjà.
As a question, déjà asks whether something has happened yet, and the answer chooses between the other two:
- — Tu as déjà goûté ce plat ?
- — Non, pas encore. / Non, jamais.
Pas encore means it has not happened but might. Jamais means it has not happened ever. Answering jamais to a dinner invitation is a stronger statement than you probably intend.
Note that encore on its own means still or again, which is nearly the opposite of pas encore. Only the ne … pas around it makes the difference: Il travaille encore* (he's still working) versus Il n'a pas encore travaillé* (he hasn't worked yet).
Knowing the rule is not the same as producing it.
This page explains the pattern. The track drills it: the point arrives inside a mini-dialogue, then production marked against a CEFR descriptor, then a module test that returns you to your two weakest sessions if you miss it.