What does mou もう mean with non-past verb?


> A: この資料、もう捨てましょうか。  
>  B: あ、ちょっと待ってください。  
>  B: 捨てる前に、ここをコピーしてください。
>
> (A: kono shiryou, mou sutemashou ka.  
>  B: a, chotto matte kudasai.  
>  B: suteru mae ni, koko o kopi--shite kudsai.)

I know that mou with a past-tense verb means already. But what does it mean
with this verb tense? Or even with もう捨てますか。




It can mean many things with present tense

  * "anymore"

> 「もうしませんから許してください」

  * "soon, almost"

> 「もう終わりますから、しばらくお待ちください」

  * "again, also, another, the other"

> 「もう片方の靴下が見つからない」

  * or it can simply emphasize the speaker's feelings

> 「これはもう疑う余地のない事実だ」

Source: <http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/218382/m0u/>

Your example is actually a very good one and gets at the some classic Japanese
indirectness (though every language has this type of thing).

Basically when the speaker says:

> この資料、もう捨てましょうか。

They mean:

> この資料、もう要らない？

But are making it more polite by making the verb about themselves instead of
the person they are speaking to.

So the meaning here is actually "anymore", though obviously you can't
translate it literally like that.

