Already vs yet

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.

Already – use

Use 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.

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.

Yet – use

Use yet in the oppostite way of already.

Use yet:

to talk about something that you will do but have no 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?

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 with already and yet

Most mistakes happen with ‘form’, meaning where the word is placed in the sentence.

~~Already~~ she has arrived.
She has arrived already.

Paul hasn’t ~~yet~~ called.
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 havent’s 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 othere Grammar point posts:
Grammar: like vs as
Grammar: by vs till/until