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

  • 已经 走 了 。
  • 已经 结婚 了。
  • 已经 有 男朋友 了。I knew everything.
  • 已经到 家 了 吗?
  • 已经 知道 这 件 事 了。
  • 你 的 意思,我 已经 明白 了。
  • 现在 是 11 点,商店 已经 关门 了。
  • 已经 离开 那 家 公司 了。
  • 太 晚 了,我们 已经 没有 时间 了。
  • 我 出生 的 时候,我 的 爷爷 已经 死 了。


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 不要 喝。From now on,you should not drink any wine.
  • 什么 电影 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 没 吃。Today I didn't eat anything.
  • 什么 没跟我说。She didn't tell me anything.

Sources and further reading

Books