Expressing "already" with "yijing"

已经……了 (yǐjing... le) is the basic pattern used to express "already" in Chinese. Strictly speaking, the 了 here is not absolutely mandatory, but it's usually there in spoken Chinese, so it's best to think of the 了 as a part of the pattern.

Basic Pattern

Structure

The most common structure to use 已经……了 with a verb phrase.

已经 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Sometimes adjectives or even time nouns are used instead of a typical verb phrase:

已经 + Adj + 了

已经 + [Time Noun] + 了

Examples

• 我 已经 饿 了 。(with an adjective)I'm hungry already.
• 他 已经 走 了 。 (with a verb)He has already left.
• 已经 很 晚 了 ， 我们 走 吧 。(with an adjective)It's already really late. Let's go.
• 天 已经 黑 了 。 (with an adjective)It's already dark.
• 我 已经 有 男朋友 了 。 (with a verb phrase)I already have a boyfriend.
• 你 的 感冒 已经好 了 吗 ？ (with an adjective)Is your cold better already?
• 我 已经 知道 这 件 事 了 。 (with a verb phrase)I already know about this matter.
• 你 已经 很 瘦 了，你 不 能 再 不 吃饭 了 。 (with an adjective)You're already really thin. You can't not eat again.
• 我 的 女儿 已经 2 岁 了 。 (with an age)My daughter is already two.
• 我 已经 离开 那 家 公司 了。 (with a verb phrase)I've already left that company.
• 已经 10 点 了，他 为什么 还 没 来 上班？ (with a time)It's already 10 o'clock. Why hasn't he arrived for work yet?

Negative Form

Structure

The negative structure simply adds a 不 after 已经, and before the verb (or possibly adjective).

已经 + 不 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

Generally this negative 已经 structure is translated into English as "not... anymore" rather than using the word "already."

• 我 已经 不 记得 他 的 名字 了。I don't remember his name anymore.
• 我 已经 不 爱 他 了。I don't love him anymore.
• 他 已经 不 开心 了，你 为什么 还 让 他 生气？ I'm already unhappy. Why are you making me angry?
• 你 已经 不 年轻 了，你 怎么 还 不 结婚？ You're not young anymore. How come you don't get married?
• 我 已经 不 需要 花 父母 的 钱 了。 I don't need to spend my parents' money anymore.
• 在 我 心 里，他 已经 不 重要 了。 In my heart, he's no longer important.
• 你 已经 不 在 Google 工作 了 吗？ You don't work at Google anymore?
• 他 已经 不 打算 去 加拿大 旅行 了。 He's no longer planning to travel to Canada.
• 以前，我 想 去 美国 上 大学，可是 现在 我 已经 不 想 去 了。Before, I wanted to go to the U.S. for college, but now I don't want to go anymore.

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (p. 612) →buy

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 554) →buy

• New Concept Chinese (新概念汉语　初级本II) (p.41)→buy

• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (都 vs 已经 p. 97)→buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p.1609) →buy