已经……了How to Say "Already" with 已经……了

The pattern

Subject + 已经 + verb + 了.

已经 is an adverb, so it goes after the subject and straight before the verb. The 了 at the end shows that the action has happened. You could also just say 我吃饭了, but 已经 adds the idea that it is done by now, often sooner than the other person thinks.

1. 我已经吃饭了。Wǒ yǐjīng chī fàn le.I've already eaten.
2. 他已经回家了。Tā yǐjīng huí jiā le.He's already gone home.
3. 电影已经开始了。Diànyǐng yǐjīng kāishǐ le.The film has already started.

Adjectives, times and ages

已经……了 also works with adjectives, clock times, ages and lengths of time. It says a point has been reached. With a time or a number and no subject, the sentence can begin with 已经.

With a length of time, as in 两年, you can use 了 after the verb as well as at the end: the action began in the past and is still going on.

1. 天已经晚了。Tiān yǐjīng wǎn le.It's already late.
2. 已经十点了，我们回家吧。Yǐjīng shí diǎn le, wǒmen huí jiā ba.It's already ten o'clock, let's go home.
3. 我儿子已经六岁了。Wǒ érzi yǐjīng liù suì le.My son is already six.
4. 我已经学了两年中文了。Wǒ yǐjīng xué le liǎng nián Zhōngwén le.I've been learning Chinese for two years now.

Common mistakes: word order and the missing 了

In English, "already" can go at the end of the sentence. In Chinese, 已经 never does: say 我们已经到了, not 我们到了已经. It also does not go in front of the subject, so 已经他回家了 is wrong.

The other common mistake is to forget 了. 我已经吃饭 sounds unfinished to a Chinese speaker. Keep 了 at the end of the sentence.

1. 我们已经到了。Wǒmen yǐjīng dào le.We're already here.
2. 我已经知道了。Wǒ yǐjīng zhīdào le.I already know.

Not yet, no longer, and questions

The opposite of 已经……了 is 还没有 + verb, "not yet". Do not use 已经 for this, and drop 了: 我还没有吃饭, not 我已经没有吃饭了. With 不, 已经不……了 means "no longer" or "not any more".

To ask whether something has already happened, add 吗 to the end. Answer yes with 已经 + verb + 了, or no with 还没有.

1. 我还没有吃饭。Wǒ hái méiyǒu chī fàn.I haven't eaten yet.
2. 你已经买票了吗？Nǐ yǐjīng mǎi piào le ma?Have you already bought the tickets?
3. 他已经走了吗？Tā yǐjīng zǒu le ma?Has he left already?
4. 我已经不喝咖啡了。Wǒ yǐjīng bù hē kāfēi le.I don't drink coffee any more.

Printable worksheet

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