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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'already' with 已经 (yǐjīng)

    HSK 2
    Aspect & Tense
    Time Expressions

    Structure

    Subject + 已经 + Verb + 了

    Explanation

    已经 means "already" and indicates that an action or state has been reached or completed by the time of speaking. It is often paired with 了 at the end of the sentence. For example, 我已经吃了 means "I've already eaten" and 他已经走了 means "He has already left."

    Examples

    • 飞机已经起飞了。

      fēijī yǐjīng qǐfēi le.

      The plane has already taken off.

    • 我已经跟他说了这件事。

      wǒ yǐjīng gēn tā shuō le zhè jiàn shì.

      I've already told him about this.

    • 他们已经结婚十年了。

      tāmen yǐjīng jiéhūn shí nián le.

      They've been married for ten years already.