Expressing "already" with "yijing"

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

Basic Pattern

已经 with Verb Phrase

Structure

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

已经 + [Verb/Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

• 他 已经 走 了 。 (with just a verb)He has already left.
• 宝宝 已经 会 说话 了。(with a verb phrase)The baby can already speak.
• 我 已经 吃 饭 了。I already ate.
• 我 已经 去 过 那里 了。I already went there.
• 我们 已经 做 完 了。We have already finished it.
• 他 已经 回来 了。He already came back.
• 我 已经 上 飞机 了。I have already been on a plane.
• 我 已经 有 男朋友 了 。 I already have a boyfriend.
• 我 已经 知道 这 件 事 了 。 I already know about this matter.
• 我 已经 离开 那 家 公司 了。 I've already left that company.

已经 with Adjective

Structure

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

已经 + Adj + 了

Examples

• 你 已经 很 漂亮 了。You are already very beautiful.
• 我 已经 很 烦 了。I am already very tired.
• 爸爸 妈妈 已经 老 了。Mom and dad are already old.
• 我们 已经 很 忙 了。We are already very busy.
• 已经 很 便宜 了。It is already very cheap.
• 天 已经 黑 了 。 It is already dark.
• 你 的 感冒 已经 好 了 吗 ？ Is your cold already better?
• 你 已经 很 瘦 了，你 不 能 再 不 吃饭 了 。 You are already really thin, you can't keep not eating.
• 我 已经 饿 了 。I am already hungry.
• 已经 很 晚 了 ， 我们 走 吧 。It's already really late. Let's go.

已经 with Time noun

Structure

已经 + [Time noun] + 了

Examples

• 已经 11点 了，女儿 还 没 回来。It is already 11 o'clock, my daughter has not returned.
• 你 已经 十 五 岁 了。You are already fifteen years old.
• 今天 已经 星期 五 了。Today is already Friday.
• 已经 半 个 小时 了。It has already been half an hour.
• 我 学习 中文 已经 一 年 了。I have already been studying Chinese for a year.
• 他 去 北京 已经 两 天 了。It has already been two days since he went to Beijing.
• 已经 十 分钟 了。It has already been 10 minutes.
• 已经 很 长 时间 了。It has already been a long time.
• 我 的 女儿 已经 两 岁 了 。 (with an age)My daughter is already two years old.
• 已经 一 个 月 了。 (with a time)It has already been a month.

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 认识 他 了。I don't know him anymore.
• 我 已经 不 爱 他 了。I don't love him anymore.
• 他 已经 不 开心 了，别 告诉 他 那 件 事 了。 He is not happy anymore, don't tell him about that thing.
• 你 已经 不 年轻 了。 You're not young anymore.
• 我 已经 不 需要 父母 的 钱 了。 I don't need 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.
• 现在 我 已经 不 想 去 了。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) (p. 97) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p.1609) →buy