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Lesson

已经 (already)

1. Explain it simply

已经 means 'already' and goes right before the verb.

It very often teams up with a sentence-final 了 to confirm the change has taken place.

2. Show examples

我已经吃饭了。

Wǒ yǐjīng chīfàn le.

I've already eaten.

已经 + verb …了

他已经走了。

Tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

He has already left.

已经 signals a change from before

现在已经十点了。

Xiànzài yǐjīng shí diǎn le.

It's already 10 o'clock.

Works with time expressions too

3. Share a tip

已经 usually wants a 了 at the end of the sentence to sound complete - leaving it off can make the sentence feel unfinished.

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