Expressing "already" with "yijing"

应经……了 (yǐjing... le) is the basic pattern used to express "already" in Chinese. The 了 here is not absolutely mandatory, but it's usually there in spoken Chinese.

Structures

The structure is very clear, as many Chinese grammar points are.

已经 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Note that sometimes adjectives are used instead of a typical "verb phrase."

Examples

• 你 不 应该 什么 话 都 跟他说 。You shouldn't have told everything to him.
• 我 什么 水果 都 喜欢 吃。I like to eat all kinds of fruits.
• 今天 我 什么 工作 都 做了。Today I did all my work.
• 我 什么 都 知道。I knew everything.

Negative Structures

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

已经 + 不 / 没 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

• 以后 你 应该 什么 酒 都 不要 喝。From now on,you should not drink any wine.
• 我 什么 电影 都 不 喜欢 看。I don't like to watch any movie. (implying I don't like movies in general)
• 今天 我 什么 东西 都 没 吃。Today I didn't eat anything.
• 她 什么 话 都 没跟我说。She didn't tell me anything.