Expressing "already" with "yijing"

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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 (yǐjing... le) with a verb phrase.

已经 + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

  • 他们 已经(with just a verb)Tāmen yǐjīng zǒu le. They've already left.
  • 已经 有 男朋友 (with a verb phrase)yǐjīng yǒu nánpéngyou le. I already have a boyfriend.
  • 宝宝 已经 会 说话 (with a verb phrase)Bǎobao yǐjīng huì shuōhuà le. The baby can already speak.
  • 妈妈 已经 回来 (with just a verb)Māma yǐjīng huílái le. Mom has already come back.
  • 已经 上 飞机 (with a verb phrase)yǐjīng shàng fēijī le. He's already gotten on the plane.

已经 with Adjective

Structure

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

已经 + (很 +) Adj. + 了

Examples

  • 爸爸 妈妈 已经Bàba māmā yǐjīng lǎo le.Mom and dad are already old.
  • 已经 很 便宜 Yǐjīng hěn piányi le.It is already very cheap.
  • 你女朋友 已经 很 漂亮 Nǐ nǚpéngyou yǐjīng hěn piàoliang le! Your girlfriend is already very beautiful!
  • 你 的 感冒 已经 吗 ? Nǐ de gǎnmào yǐjīng hǎo le ma?Is your cold already better?
  • 已经 很 晚 ,我们 走 吧。Yǐjīng hěn wǎn le, wǒmen zǒu ba.It's already really late. Let's go.

已经 with Time noun

Structure

已经 + Time Noun + 了

Examples

  • 已经 11点 ,女儿 还 没 回来 。Yǐjīng shíyī diǎn le, nǚ'ér hái méi huílái. It is already 11 o'clock, yet my daughter has not returned.
  • 爷爷 已经 八十五 岁 Yéye yǐjīng bāshí-wǔ suì le. Grandpa is already eighty-five years old.
  • 我 学习 中文 已经 一 年 Wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén yǐjīng yī nián le. I have already been studying Chinese for a year.
  • 爸爸 去 北京 出差 已经 两 天 Bàba qù Běijīng chūchāi yǐjīng liǎng tiān le. It has already been two days since dad went to Beijing on business trip.
  • 他 在 洗手间 里 已经 半 个 小时 Tā zài xǐshǒujiān lǐ yǐjīng bàn ge xiǎoshí le. He has already been in the bathroom for half an hour.

Negative Form

Structure

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

已经 + 不 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

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

  • 已经 不 喜欢 你 yǐjīng bù xǐhuan nǐ le. I don't like you anymore.
  • 已经 不 爱 他 的 猫 yǐjīng bù ài tā de māo le. He doesn't love his cat anymore.
  • 他们 已经 不 住 在 中国 Tāmen yǐjīng bù zhù zài Zhōngguó le. They don't live in China anymore.
  • 已经 不 需要 父母 的 钱 yǐjīng bù xūyào fùmǔ de qián le. I don't need my parents' money anymore.
  • 已经 不 在 Google 工作 吗? yǐjīng bù zài Google gōngzuò le ma? You don't work at Google anymore?

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries