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  <h1>Expressing "already" with "<span class="pinyinst">yǐjīng... le</span>" "<span class="hanzist">已经⋯⋯了</span>"</h1>

  <p><span class="hanzi">已经⋯⋯了</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐjīng... le</span>) is the basic pattern used to express "<b>already</b>" in Chinese. It's easy to forget the <span class="hanzi">了</span> (<span class="pinyin">le</span>) on the end, but using it will make your Chinese more natural.</p>

  <h2 id="basic-usages">Basic Usages</h2>

  <h3 id="已经-yǐjīng-with-verb-phrases"><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal;">已经</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐjīng</span>) with Verb Phrases</h3>

  <h4 id="structure">Structure</h4>

  <p>The most common structure is to use <span class="hanzi">已经⋯⋯了</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐjīng... le</span>) with a verb phrase.</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p><span class="hanzist">已经</span> + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + <span class="hanzist">了</span></p>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">他们 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 走 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>。</span><br/> <span class="vert">with just a verb</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Tāmen <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> zǒu <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>They've already left.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 有 男朋友 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 。</span> <br/><span class="vert">with a verb phrase</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> yǒu nánpéngyou <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>I already have a boyfriend.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">宝宝 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 会 说话 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="vert">with a verb phrase</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Bǎobao <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> huì shuōhuà <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>The baby can already speak.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">妈妈 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 回来 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="vert">with just a verb</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Māma <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> huílái <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>Mom has already come back.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 上 飞机 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="vert">with a verb phrase</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Tā <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> shàng fēijī <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>He's already gotten on the plane.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h3 id="已经-yǐjīng-with-adjectives"><span class="hanzist">已经</span> (<span class="pinyinst">yǐjīng</span>) with Adjectives</h3>

  <h4 id="structure-1">Structure</h4>

  <p>Sometimes an <a href="adjective" class="uri" title="wikilink">adjective</a> or a <a href="time_noun" title="wikilink">time noun</a> is used instead of a typical verb phrase:</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p><span class="hanzist">已经</span> + (<span class="hanzist">很</span> +) Adj. + <span class="hanzist">了</span></p>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-1">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">爸爸 妈妈 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 老 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Bàba māma <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> lǎo <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>Mom and dad are already old.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 很 便宜 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondjaune">Yǐjīng</span> hěn piányi <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>It is already very cheap.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 女朋友 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 很 漂亮 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ nǚpéngyou <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> hěn piàoliang <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>Your girlfriend is already very beautiful!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 的 感冒 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 好 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 吗 ？</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ de gǎnmào <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> hǎo <span class="fondjaune">le</span> ma?</span> <br/>Is your cold already better?</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 很 晚 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>，我们 走 吧。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondjaune">Yǐjīng</span> hěn wǎn <span class="fondjaune">le</span> wǒmen zǒu ba.</span> <br/>It's already really late. Let's go.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h3 id="已经-yǐjīng-with-time-nouns"><span class="hanzist">已经</span> (<span class="pinyinst">yǐjīng</span>) with Time Nouns</h3>

  <p>A "time noun" simply refers to almost any word in Chinese indicating a time something happened.</p>

  <h4 id="structure-2">Structure</h4>

  <div class="deux">
    <p><span class="hanzist">已经</span> + Time Noun + <span class="hanzist">了</span></p>
  </div>

  <h4 id="examples-2">Examples</h4>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 11点 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>，女儿 还 没 回来 。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondjaune">Yǐjīng</span> shíyī diǎn <span class="fondjaune">le</span>, nǚ'ér hái méi huílái.</span><br/>It is already 11 o'clock, and my daughter has not returned.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">爷爷 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 八十五 岁 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Yéye <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> bāshí-wǔ suì <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>Grandpa is already eighty-five years old.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 学习 中文 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 一 年 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> yī nián <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>I have already been studying Chinese for a year.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 在 洗手间 里 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 半 个 小时 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 。</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tā zài xǐshǒujiān lǐ <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> bàn gè xiǎoshí <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>He has already been in the bathroom for half an hour.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">爸爸 去 北京 出差 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 两 天 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Bàba qù Běijīng chūchāi <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> liǎng tiān <span class="fondjaune">le</span>.</span><br/> It has already been two days since dad went to Beijing on business trip.</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="negative-form">Negative Form</h2>

  <h3 id="structure-3">Structure</h3>

  <p>The negative structure simply adds a <span class="hanzi">不</span> (<span class="pinyin">bù</span>) after <span class="hanzi">已经</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐjīng</span>), and before the verb (or possibly adjective).</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p><span class="hanzist">已经</span> + <span class="hanzist">不</span> + [Verb Phrase] / Adj. + <span class="hanzist">了</span></p>
  </div>

  <h3 id="examples-3">Examples</h3>

  <p>Generally this negative <span class="hanzi">已经</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐjīng</span>) structure is translated into English as "not... anymore" rather than using the word "already."</p>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> <span class="fondvert">不</span> 喜欢 你 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> <span class="fondvert">bù</span> xǐhuan nǐ <span class="fondjaune">le</span>.</span><br/> I don't like you anymore.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> 不 爱 他 的 猫 <span class="fondjaune">了</span>。</span><br/><span class="pinyin">Tā <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> <span class="fondvert">bù</span> ài tā de māo <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>He doesn't love his cat anymore.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">他们 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> <span class="fondvert">不</span> 住 在 中国 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Tāmen <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> <span class="fondvert">bù</span> zhù zài Zhōngguó <span class="fondjaune">le</span> </span> <br/>They don't live in China anymore.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> <span class="fondvert">不</span> 需要 父母 的 钱 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> </span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> <span class="fondvert">bù</span> xūyào fùmǔ de qián <span class="fondjaune">le</span>.</span><br/> I don't need my parents' money anymore.</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 <span class="fondjaune">已经</span> <span class="fondvert">不</span> 在 Google 工作 <span class="fondjaune">了</span> 吗？</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <span class="fondjaune">yǐjīng</span> <span class="fondvert">bù</span> zài Google gōngzuò <span class="fondjaune">le</span> ma?</span><br/> You don't work at Google anymore?</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语八百词（增订本）</span> (p. 612)</li>

    <li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语虚词例释</span> (p. 554)</li>

    <li>New Concept Chinese (<span class="hanzi">新概念汉语 初级本II</span>) (p. 41)</li>

    <li>Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (<span class="hanzi">汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级</span>) (p. 97)</li>
  </ul>

  <h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>

  <ul>
    <li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语词典（第5版）</span> (p.1609)</li>
  </ul>
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