还没有 + Verb
Reach for this when an expected action hasn't happened yet but probably will — 'still haven't done X.' 还 carries the 'still / as of now' feeling, and 没有 negates the past or completed state of the verb. Use it when you've been waiting for something (homework done, food arrived, baby grown up), when explaining why you're not ready, or when answering 'have you...?' in the negative with the expectation that you eventually will.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 还没(有) [VERB] (OBJECT)
hái méi(yǒu) + verb
How to Think About It
还没有 has a forward-looking flavor that plain 没有 doesn't. 'I haven't eaten' (我没吃) is just a fact about the past. 'I still haven't eaten' (我还没吃) implies you're going to — the action is pending, not cancelled. The 还 is doing emotional work: it tells the listener the door is still open. Drop it and you sound resigned; keep it and you sound like you're waiting on something.
Examples
我还没吃饭。
Wǒ hái méi chīfàn.
I haven't eaten yet.
他还没回家。
Tā hái méi huí jiā.
He hasn't gone home yet.
作业还没做完。
Zuòyè hái méi zuò wán.
The homework still isn't finished.
Common Mistake
Learners pair 还 with 不 instead of 没(有) for past or completed actions because 不 feels like the default negator. But 不 negates habits, intentions, or future actions, not completion. For 'haven't done yet,' you need 没(有).
我还不吃饭。
我还没吃饭。
Don't Confuse With
没有 + Verb
Plain 没有 just says the action didn't happen. Add 还 to specifically mark 'not yet, but pending' — the expectation that it will eventually happen is what 还 contributes.
不 + Verb
不 negates intention, habit, or future ('I don't / won't eat'). 没(有) negates completion ('haven't eaten'). Never use 不 for past or completed actions in Chinese.
Verb + 了吗?
了吗 asks 'have you done X yet?' — the question form. 还没 + Verb answers it in the negative. They're a natural question-and-answer pair: '吃了吗?' / '还没吃.'
Practice
我 ___ 没看那部电影。
Show answer
还
他还 ___ 来。
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没
Put in order: [我 / 起床 / 还 / 没]
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我还没起床。
Translate to Chinese: 'My little brother still hasn't gone to school.'
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我弟弟还没去学校。
Write one sentence about something you haven't done today but plan to, using 还没.
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Example answer: 我今天还没喝咖啡。 (I still haven't had coffee today.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: