已经…了 (yǐjīng…le): How to Say “Already” in Chinese

Why this trips learners up

To say something has already happened in Chinese, you wrap it in a pair: 已经 (yǐjīng) … 了 (le). 已经 means “already”, and the 了 on the end marks that the change is complete: 他们已经走了 (“they've already left”), 已经很晚了 (“it's already late”). The same frame takes verbs, adjectives, and even times — 已经三点了 (“it's already 3 o'clock”).

The mistake almost everyone makes is dropping the 了. 已经 alone already feels finished to an English speaker — “they already left” — so learners stop there and say 他们已经走. To a Chinese ear that hangs unfinished; the 了 is what closes it. One twist worth knowing: the negative isn't “already not” but “not anymore” — 已经不…了 marks a change away from how things were: 我已经不喜欢你了 (“I don't like you anymore”).

The structure

已经 yǐjīng Verb 了 le

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Negation Function word Adjective Measure word Number Question

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

tā 他 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern dào 到 Verb le 了 Pattern

He's already arrived.

wǒ 我 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern xiàbān 下班 Verb le 了 Pattern

I've already gotten off work.

tiān 天 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern hēi 黑 Adjective le 了 Pattern

It's already dark.

yǐjīng 已经 Pattern sān diǎn 三点 Time le 了 Pattern

It's already 3 o'clock.

wǒmen 我们 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern rènshi 认识 Verb shí 十 Number nián 年 Measure word le 了 Pattern

We've known each other for ten years now.

wǒ 我 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern bù 不 Negation chōuyān 抽烟 Verb le 了 Pattern

I don't smoke anymore.

tā 他 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern huì 会 Function word kāichē 开车 Verb le 了 Pattern

He can already drive now.

nǐ 你 Subject yǐjīng 已经 Pattern chī 吃 Verb fàn 饭 Object le 了 Pattern ma 吗 Question

Have you already eaten?

Common mistakes

Avoid: 他已经走。 tā yǐjīng zǒu.

Say this: 他已经走了。 tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

Why it happens: 已经 almost always needs a partner 了 at the end — and it's the easiest thing in Chinese to forget. “He's already left” is 他已经走了, not 他已经走; without the 了 the sentence feels cut off mid-thought. Say 已经 and 了 as a set.

Avoid: 我已经没喜欢你了。 wǒ yǐjīng méi xǐhuan nǐ le.

Say this: 我已经不喜欢你了。 wǒ yǐjīng bù xǐhuan nǐ le.

Why it happens: The negative of 已经…了 is 已经不…了 — “not anymore”, a change from before — and it takes 不, not 没. “I don't like you anymore” is 我已经不喜欢你了, never 已经没喜欢. (没 is for “haven't yet”; 不 is for “no longer”.)

Avoid: 已经他走了。 yǐjīng tā zǒu le.

Say this: 他已经走了。 tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

Why it happens: 已经 is an adverb, so it sits after the subject and before the verb: 他已经走了, not 已经他走了. (With no subject — a bare time like 已经三点了 — 已经 naturally comes first.)

Compare & contrast

已经…了 — already (it happened)	还没 — not yet (it hasn't)	The difference
他已经来了。tā yǐjīng lái le.	他还没来。tā hái méi lái.	他已经来了 = “he's already here” — done, with the closing 了. 他还没来 = “he's not here yet” — uses 没, and no 了.
我已经吃了。wǒ yǐjīng chī le.	我还没吃。wǒ hái méi chī.	已经…了 marks the thing as finished; 还没 says it hasn't happened so far. The negator flips to 没, and the 了 disappears.

Rule of thumb已经…了 = it has already happened — keep the paired 了. Its opposite is 还没 (“not yet”), which takes 没 and drops the 了. And don't confuse that with the “not anymore” negative, 已经不…了, which uses 不 for a change away from before.

Try it yourself

Say “I've already bought the tickets” — tap the words into order.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

已经…了 (yǐjīng…le): How to Say “Already” grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

已经 + Verb + 了

Example

他已经到了

He's already arrived.

Watch out

✗ 他已经走。 → ✓ 他已经走了。