Try to focus more on the general influence já has on a phrase, rather than any particular translation. The easiest way to get used to this word is to study lots of examples and listen for how it’s used in conversations. Here are a few to get you started:

Já vou - I’ll be right there

Volto já - I’ll be right back

Até já! - See you (very) soon!

Já que… - Now that…

Já está - That’s it, Done, Got it, There you go

Já chega! - Enough!

Já agora - By the way, Speaking of which

Vou já tratar disso - I’ll take care of that in a moment

Já estamos na estação - We’re already at the station

Já comeste? - Did you eat already? / Have you eaten?

Já fui a Portugal - I’ve been to Portugal (In English we use a different tense — “have been” — but in Portuguese, you can use já + the simple past tense to imply the same meaning.)

If já comes after the verb, or at the end of a sentence, it often emphasizes the urgency of the request or the fact that the action needs to happen soon, as in:

Faz isso agora já! - Do it right now!

You could even add já, já! to the end of a phrase, to add even more emphasis.

For more examples, visit us at www.PracticePortuguese.com