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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>已经⋯⋯了 (yǐjīng... le) is the basic pattern used to express
"already" in Chinese. It's easy to forget the 了 (le) 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">已经 (yǐjīng) with Verb
Phrases</h3>
<h4 id="structure">Structure</h4>
<p>The most common structure is to use 已经⋯⋯了 (yǐjīng... le) with a
verb phrase.</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>已经 + Verb / [Verb Phrase] + 了</p>
</div>
<h4 id="examples">Examples</h4>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>他们 <em>已经</em> 走 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"expl pdf-simple-expl">with just a verb</span><span class=
"pinyin">Tāmen <em>yǐjīng</em> zǒu <em>le</em>.</span><span class=
"trans">They've already left.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>已经</em> 有 男朋友 <em>了</em> 。 <span class=
"expl pdf-simple-expl">with a verb phrase</span><span class=
"pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐjīng</em> yǒu nánpéngyou
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I already have a
boyfriend.</span></li>
<li>宝宝 <em>已经</em> 会 说话 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"expl pdf-simple-expl">with a verb phrase</span><span class=
"pinyin">Bǎobao <em>yǐjīng</em> huì shuōhuà
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">The baby can already
speak.</span></li>
<li>妈妈 <em>已经</em> 回来 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"expl pdf-simple-expl">with just a verb</span><span class=
"pinyin">Māma <em>yǐjīng</em> huílái
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Mom has already come
back.</span></li>
<li>他 <em>已经</em> 上 飞机 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"expl pdf-simple-expl">with a verb phrase</span><span class=
"pinyin">Tā <em>yǐjīng</em> shàng fēijī
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He's already gotten on the
plane.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="已经-yǐjīng-with-adjectives">已经 (yǐjīng) 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="jiegou">
<p>已经 + (很 +) Adj. + 了</p>
</div>
<h4 id="examples-1">Examples</h4>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>爸爸 妈妈 <em>已经</em> 老 <em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Bàba māma
<em>yǐjīng</em> lǎo <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">Mom and
dad are already old.</span></li>
<li><em>已经</em> 很 便宜 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"pinyin"><em>Yǐjīng</em> hěn piányi <em>le</em>.</span><span class=
"trans">It is already very cheap.</span></li>
<li>你 女朋友 <em>已经</em> 很 漂亮 <em>了</em>！ <span class="pinyin">Nǐ
nǚpéngyou <em>yǐjīng</em> hěn piàoliang <em>le</em>!</span>
<span class="trans">Your girlfriend is already very
beautiful!</span></li>
<li>你 的 感冒 <em>已经</em> 好 <em>了</em> 吗 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de
gǎnmào <em>yǐjīng</em> hǎo <em>le</em> ma?</span><span class=
"trans">Is your cold already better?</span></li>
<li><em>已经</em> 很 晚 <em>了</em>，我们 走 吧。<span class=
"pinyin"><em>Yǐjīng</em> hěn wǎn <em>le</em>, wǒmen zǒu
ba.</span><span class="trans">It's already really late. Let's
go.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="已经-yǐjīng-with-time-nouns">已经 (yǐjīng) with Time Nouns</h3>
<p>A "<a href="time_noun" title="wikilink">time noun</a>" simply
refers to almost any word in Chinese indicating a time something
happened.</p>
<h4 id="structure-2">Structure</h4>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>已经 + Time Noun + 了</p>
</div>
<h4 id="examples-2">Examples</h4>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li><em>已经</em> 11点 <em>了</em>，女儿 还 没 回来 。<span class=
"pinyin"><em>Yǐjīng</em> shíyī diǎn <em>le</em>, nǚ'ér hái méi
huílái.</span><span class="trans">It is already 11 o'clock, and my
daughter has not returned.</span></li>
<li>爷爷 <em>已经</em> 八十五 岁 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Yéye
<em>yǐjīng</em> bāshí-wǔ suì <em>le</em>.</span><span class=
"trans">Grandpa is already eighty-five years old.</span></li>
<li>我 学习 中文 <em>已经</em> 一 年 <em>了</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ
xuéxí Zhōngwén <em>yǐjīng</em> yī nián
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I have already been studying
Chinese for a year.</span></li>
<li>他 在 洗手间 里 <em>已经</em> 半 个 小时 <em>了</em> 。 <span class=
"pinyin">Tā zài xǐshǒujiān lǐ <em>yǐjīng</em> bàn gè xiǎoshí
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">He has already been in the
bathroom for half an hour.</span></li>
<li>爸爸 去 北京 出差 <em>已经</em> 两 天 <em>了</em> 。<span class=
"pinyin">Bàba qù Běijīng chūchāi <em>yǐjīng</em> liǎng tiān
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">It has already been two days
since dad went to Beijing on business trip.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="negative-form">Negative Form</h2>
<h3 id="structure-3">Structure</h3>
<p>The negative structure simply adds a 不 (bù) after 已经 (yǐjīng),
and before the verb (or possibly adjective).</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>已经 + 不 + [Verb Phrase] / Adj. + 了</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-3">Examples</h3>
<p>Generally this negative 已经 (yǐjīng) structure is translated into
English as "not... anymore" rather than using the word
"already."</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>已经</em> <strong>不</strong> 喜欢 你 <em>了</em>。<span class=
"pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐjīng</em> <strong>bù</strong> xǐhuan nǐ
<em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I don't like you
anymore.</span></li>
<li>他 <em>已经</em> <strong>不</strong> 爱 他 的 猫
<em>了</em>。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>yǐjīng</em>
<strong>bù</strong> ài tā de māo <em>le</em>.</span><span class=
"trans">He doesn't love his cat anymore.</span></li>
<li>他们 <em>已经</em> <strong>不</strong> 住 在 中国 <em>了</em>。
<span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>yǐjīng</em> <strong>bù</strong> zhù
zài Zhōngguó <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">They don't live
in China anymore.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>已经</em> <strong>不</strong> 需要 父母 的 钱 <em>了</em>。
<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>yǐjīng</em> <strong>bù</strong> xūyào
fùmǔ de qián <em>le</em>.</span><span class="trans">I don't need my
parents' money anymore.</span></li>
<li>你 <em>已经</em> <strong>不</strong> 在 Google 工作 <em>了</em> 吗？
<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>yǐjīng</em> <strong>bù</strong> zài
Google gōngzuò <em>le</em> ma?</span> <span class="trans">You don't
work at Google anymore?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语八百词（增订本）</a> (p. 612) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B001198GSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693275&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%99%9A%E8%AF%8D%E4%BE%8B%E9%87%8A"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语虚词例释</a> (p. 554) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B004323J90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693275&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"New_Concept_Chinese_(%E6%96%B0%E6%A6%82%E5%BF%B5%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD_%E5%88%9D%E7%BA%A7%E6%9C%ACII)"
title="wikilink">New Concept Chinese (新概念汉语 初级本II)</a> (p.
41)<a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E6%96%B0%E6%A6%82%E5%BF%B5%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD/dp/B00119AGD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1347862743&amp;sr=8-1">→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)"
title="wikilink">Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items -
Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)</a> (p. 97) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89"
class="uri" title="wikilink">现代汉语词典（第5版）</a> (p.1609) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345693609&amp;sr=8-1">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a></p>
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