Sentence pattern · Band 2
已经 and 还没: already, and not yet
已经 + 动词 + 了 / 还没 + 动词（呢）
已经 plus verb plus 了 says done already: I have eaten, the teacher has arrived, and the 了 lands the plane. The flip side is 还没有……呢 for not yet and still waiting, with a 呢 at the end adding a little sigh. Already and not yet are the two faces of one clock, and Mandarin names both with short, fixed frames.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
已经 stands before the verb and 了 closes after it; the pair sandwiches the action.
已经 leans on the final 了 to land; without it the sentence hangs midair.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 已经……了、还没……呢 mean?
已经 plus verb plus 了 says done already: I have eaten, the teacher has arrived, and the 了 lands the plane. The flip side is 还没有……呢 for not yet and still waiting, with a 呢 at the end adding a little sigh. Already and not yet are the two faces of one clock, and Mandarin names both with short, fixed frames.
How do you build it?
已经 + 动词 + 了 / 还没 + 动词（呢）
What is the most common mistake?
我吃已经了。 → 我已经吃了。
已经 stands before the verb and 了 closes after it; the pair sandwiches the action.
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