Already and not yet in Chinese
In Chinese, 已經 ♬ means “already,” and 還沒 ♬ means “not yet.” They are useful when talking about whether something has happened or not.
| Word | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 已經 ♬ | already |
| 還沒 ♬ | not yet |
1. 已經: already
Use 已經 ♬ when something has already happened or a situation is already true.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject + 已經 + Verb / phrase | Subject already did something / something is already true |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 資料已經準備好了。 ♬ | The materials are already ready. |
| 門已經關了。 ♬ | The door is already closed. |
已經 often appears before the verb or phrase that describes the completed action or current result.
2. 還沒: not yet
Use 還沒 ♬ when something has not happened yet.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject + 還沒 + Verb / phrase | Subject has not done something yet / something has not happened yet |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 客人還沒到。 ♬ | The guest has not arrived yet. |
| 信還沒寄。 ♬ | The letter has not been sent yet. |
還沒 is more natural than saying only 沒 when you want to emphasize “not yet.”
3. 已經 often goes with 了
已經 ♬ often appears with 了 ♬ because the sentence talks about a completed change or result.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 電影已經開始了。 ♬ | The movie has already started. |
| 票已經賣完了。 ♬ | The tickets are already sold out. |
Do not think of 了 as a simple past tense marker. Here, it helps show that the situation has changed.
4. 還沒 + Verb + 呢
You may hear 呢 ♬ at the end of a 還沒 sentence. It can make the sentence sound more conversational.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 結果還沒出來呢。 ♬ | The result has not come out yet. |
| 名字還沒確定呢。 ♬ | The name has not been decided yet. |
呢 is optional. The main meaning still comes from 還沒.
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