Gap-fill
Encore, toujours and déjà: a day with eight gaps
Practise still, again, always and already in a French workday. Compare pas encore, toujours pas and pas toujours, then complete eight gaps.
- A2
- 8 gaps
- Translation included
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Encore means again, more or still; toujours means always or still; déjà means already and can ask about experience. In a “still” sentence, encore and toujours can both fit. The rest of the sentence tells you which meaning to read.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Study first: match the word to the moment
| Meaning | French example | English |
|---|---|---|
| still | Nora travaille encore à cette heure-ci. | Nora is still working at this hour. |
| still | Tu travailles toujours ici ? | Do you still work here? |
| again | Lis cette phrase encore une fois. | Read this sentence one more time. |
| more | Il me faut encore un peu de temps. | I need a little more time. |
| always | Je commence toujours à huit heures. | I always start at eight. |
| already | J’ai déjà terminé. | I’ve already finished. |
Compare Nora travaille encore and Nora travaille toujours: both can describe continuing work. For repetition, encore une fois makes “again” clear. For a habit, toujours pairs naturally with tous les matins or chaque lundi.
What is the difference between pas encore, toujours pas and pas déjà?
| French | English | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Je n’ai pas encore fini. | I haven’t finished yet. | The work is unfinished now. |
| Il n’a toujours pas répondu. | He still hasn’t replied. | The wait is continuing. |
| Il ne répond pas toujours. | He doesn’t always reply. | Sometimes he replies; sometimes he doesn’t. |
| Je ne travaille plus ici. | I no longer work here. | The situation has ended. |
In je n’ai pas encore fini, the words pas encore sit between the auxiliary ai and the participle fini. For “still not”, keep toujours before pas. For “not always”, keep pas before toujours.
Your turn: follow Nora’s workday
Fill each gap with encore, toujours or déjà. Use the English cue under the gap. One “still” gap accepts two answers. The English version is tucked below the text if you need the whole story.
Une journée bien remplie
Tous les matins, je commence (always) à huit heures. Aujourd’hui, à sept heures cinquante, je suis (already) prête. Je relis mon message (once more) une fois avant de l’envoyer.
À neuf heures, je n’ai pas (not yet) fini mon travail. À dix heures, je travaille (still) sur le même texte. Je veux le terminer avant midi.
J’attends la réponse de Luc depuis ce matin. À midi, il ne m’a (still not) pas répondu. D’habitude, il répond vite, mais pas (not always).
L’après-midi, je corrige (again) le dernier paragraphe : j’ai trouvé une autre erreur. Enfin, tout est prêt. Je peux rentrer chez moi.
Read it in English
Every morning, I always start at eight. Today, at ten to eight, I’m already ready. I read my message one more time before sending it.
At nine, I haven’t finished my work yet. At ten, I’m still working on the same text. I want to finish it before midday.
I’ve been waiting for Luc’s reply since this morning. At midday, he still hasn’t replied. He usually replies quickly, but not always.
In the afternoon, I correct the last paragraph again: I’ve found another mistake. At last, everything is ready. I can go home.
Another useful meaning: have you ever…?
Tu as déjà travaillé ici ?
Have you ever worked here?
The question asks about experience before now.
Tu as déjà fini ? Il n’est que neuf heures !
Have you finished already? It’s only nine!
Here the following sentence makes the surprise clear.