Use “已经” to describe “already” in Chinese

已经……了 (yǐ jīng… 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.

"已经…了"是中文里用于表达"already"的基本结构。严格来说，这里的"了"可有可无，并非绝对强制要有，不过中文口语里一般都有，因此，最好是将"了"当做是该结构的一部分。

Basic Pattern

已经 with Verb Phrase

The most common structure is to use 已经……了 (yǐ jing… le) with a verb phrase.

最常见的结构是用"已经…了"跟上动词词组。

已经 + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

他们_已经走了。

tāmen yǐjīng zǒu le.

They've already left.

我已经有男朋友了。

wǒ yǐjīng yǒu nánpéngyou le.

I've already had a boyfriend.

宝宝已经会说话了。

bǎobǎo yǐjīng huì shuōhuà le.

The baby can already speak.

妈妈已经回来了。

māma yǐjīng huílái le.

Mom's already come back.

他已经上飞机了。

tā yǐjīng shàng fēijī le.

He's already gotten on the plane.

已经 with Adjective

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

有时会使用形容词甚至是时间名词而不是具代表性的动词词组。

已经 + （很）Adj. + 了

Examples

爸爸妈妈已经老了。

bàba māmā yǐjīng lǎo le.

Mom and dad are already old.

已经很便宜了。

yǐjīng hěn piányí le.

It is already very cheap.

你的感冒已经好了吗？

nǐ de gǎnmào yǐjīng hǎo le ma?

Is your cold already better?

已经很晚了，我们走吧。

yǐjīng hěn wǎn le, wǒmen zǒu ba.

It's already really late. Let's go.

已经 with Time noun

已经 + Time Noun + 了

Examples

已经11点了，女儿还没回来。

yǐjīng shíyī diǎn le, nǚ'ér hái méi huílái.

It is already 11 o'clock, my daughter has not returned.

爷爷已经八十五岁了。

yéye yǐjīng bāshí wǔ suì le.

Grandpa is already eighty-five years old.

我学习中文已经一年了。

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了。

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了。

tā zài xǐshǒujiān lǐ yǐjīng bàn ge xiǎoshí le.

It has already been half an hour since he went to the bathroom.

Negative Form

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

否定结构只需在"已经"的后面、动词或形容词的前面加上"不"。

已经 + 不 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

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

通常，"已经"的这个否定结构译为英语是"not…anymore"，而不是"already"。

Examples

我已经不喜欢你了。

wǒ yǐjīng bù xǐhuan nǐ le.

I don't like you anymore.

他们已经不住在家里了。

tāmen yǐjīng bù zhù zài jiālǐ le.

They don't live at home anymore.

我已经不需要父母的钱了。

wǒ yǐjīng bù xūyào fùmǔ de qián le.

I don't need my parents' money anymore.

你已经不在Google工作了吗？

nǐ yǐjīng bù zài Google gōngzuò le ma?

You don't work at Google anymore? 

Translated from: allsetlearning

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