It is quite difficult to know when to use ‘Already vs. Yet’. Here are some simple examples to help you use them correctly.
ALREADY
First let’s look at when to use ‘Already’.
Use
This refers to how we use the word.
Use ‘already’ to:
- 1. Talk about something that happened before you expected it to happen.
- Has she already left?
- Carrie has already bought some flowers.
- 2. Talk about something that happened before now.
- I’ve already finished the exam.
- He’s taken the car to the garage already.
Form
Form refers to the sentence structure. It’s important to know where to put the word ‘already’ in the sentence. If we put the word in the wrong place it may cause confusion and is grammatically incorrect.
- Use ‘already’ between have/has and the Past Participle.
- Have/has + already + Past Participle.
- They have already arrived.
- Paul has already bought the book.
- ‘Already’ can also go at the end of a sentence.
- They have arrived already.
- Paul has bought the book already.
YET
Let’s now take a look at how and where to use the word ‘yet’.
Use
Use ‘yet’ in the oppostite way of ‘already’.
Use ‘yet’:
- To talk about something that you will do but have not done.
- He hasn’t called me yet.
- They haven’t arrived yet.
- In negative sentences and in questions.
- Jenny hasn’t picked up the clothes yet.
- Has Fred cleaned his bedroom yet?
Form
Now let’s look at where to use ‘yet’ in the sentence
- Always use ‘yet’ at the end of a sentence.
- Has Lucia started working yet?
- I haven’t found the street yet.
- Notice that in an answer, we say ‘no, not yet‘. It can only be used in the negative.
- In the positive, we say, ‘Yes, they have seen it already.’
Common mistakes
Most mistakes happen with ‘form’, meaning where the word is placed in the sentence.
-
Alreadyshe has arrived. - She has arrived already.
- Paul hasn’t
yetcalled. - Paul hasn’t called yet.
It’s important to remember that:
- A negative answer to a question with ‘already’, will be answered with ‘yet’.
- Have they already called?
- Yes, they’ve already called.
- No, they haven’t called
already. - No, they haven’t called yet.
- A positive answer to a question with ‘yet’, will be answered with ‘already’.
- Have they seen her yet?
- No, not yet.
- Yes, they have
yet. - Yes, they’ve already seen her.
English Grammar
Now that you have seen our post about the differences between ‘Already vs. Yet’, take a look at our other English Grammar posts:
Grammar: like vs as
Grammar: by vs till/until
