やっと・
Three words for something that happens after a long time, where English says "finally" or "at last". やっと is for what you wanted. ついに and とうとう are for good news or bad.
after all this time
And so graduation day has come at last.
Where they go
やっと／ついに／とうとう + what happened
At the start of the sentence, or before the verb.
| Word | What it says | If it never happened |
|---|---|---|
| やっと | At last: what you wanted, after a long wait | No |
| ついに | The moment has come, good or bad | ついに |
| とうとう | After all this time; often not what you wanted | とうとう来なかった |
| ようやく | やっと, said more calmly | No |
やっと: at last
You waited, or you kept trying, and what you wanted has happened. It usually comes with relief: やっと終わった, "done at last".
I've finally finished writing the report.
I waited two whole hours in the rain and finally got a ticket.
It is also "only just", when you nearly didn't manage it.
I ran, and only just caught the train.
ようやく is a calmer, slightly formal やっと, common in writing and in polite speech.
After my professor kindly explained it once more, I finally understood.
ついに: the moment has come
The moment that everything was leading up to is here, welcome or not. You see ついに in headlines, advertisements and stories, and people say it when the moment feels big.
I've finally bought a new computer.
The fridge we'd had for ten years has finally died.
とうとう: after all this time
とうとう looks back at how long it took. Often it is something you saw coming and didn't want.
It had been cloudy since morning, and now it has finally started to rain.
My money has finally run out.
My son has finally turned twenty.
Good news, said looking back over the years.
In most sentences either ついに or とうとう fits. You choose what to point at: the moment, or the time it took.
When it never happened
You waited to the end, and it didn't come: that is とうとう or ついに with a negative. やっと and ようやく need something that did happen.
After an hour's wait, my friend finally came.
She came.
I waited an hour, but my friend never came.
She didn't. English says "never came", not "finally didn't come".
Not said: 友だちは
(My friend never came.)
Not "lastly"
English "finally" also brings in the last thing on a list. That is 最後に, and none of these three.
Finally, add the salt.
Close neighbours
結局N3
"In the end": it only tells how things turned out, often after doubt or a lot of talk. It doesn't say you were waiting for it.
I couldn't decide whether to go, and in the end I didn't.
もう・まだN5
"Already" and "not yet": whether it has happened. They don't say it took long.
The passport hasn't arrived yet.
てしまうN4
Done, and it can't be undone. With bad news it often follows とうとう.
I lost my umbrella on the train.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
何度も
Choose an answer to see why.
2A parent is glad that the long summer vacation is over. Which does she say?
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
For something that is about to begin, people mostly say いよいよ: いよいよ明日だ, "tomorrow is the day".
More sentences
We finally get to meet.
I've finally found the key I was looking for.
No reply to my letter ever came.