Does the position of "ancora" in the sentence affect its meaning? For instance, is there a difference between the two following sentences?
- Ancora non so.
- Non so ancora.
Both can mean "I still don't know" and "I don't know yet" ?
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4My impression is that Italian speakers do not really perceive a difference between "I still don't know" and "I don't know yet" (it took me some time to realize that there is an aspectual distinction), and so do not really distinguish between the two meanings– Denis Nardin ♦Aug 14, 2019 at 6:44
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@Denis Nardin, thanks for mentioning that Italian speakers do not perceive a difference between "I still don't know" and "I don't know yet". I wish that one of the answers mentioned that.– Alan EvangelistaAug 14, 2019 at 18:56
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@DenisNardin I am mind blown! What is the difference?– Easymode44Aug 15, 2019 at 9:15
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2@Easymode44 Maybe a native English speaker ought to correct me, but my impression is that I still don't know means "I don't know, and I didn't know in the past", while "I don't know yet" means "I don't know now, but I will in the future". So "still" expresses that the situation is continuing the past state, while "yet" expresses a belief that the state will change in the future (ref)– Denis Nardin ♦Aug 15, 2019 at 10:40
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2 Answers
There is no difference between the two phrases. Sometimes you can put “ancora” at the beginning of a phrase for emphasis. For example:
Posso avere un altro piatto di pasta?
Ancora ne vuoi?! Hai mangiato tantissimo!
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Yes, it's the same. "Ancora" can be used in other expressions, such as "not yet", "more". Get a good dictionary.
Non so ancora: I don't know yet.
Ancora di più: More.
Ancora!: More!
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2Thank you, but I already have a dictionary and I am already familiar with the other meanings of "ancora". Aug 13, 2019 at 21:19