已经 + Verb/Time word
Reach for this when you want to say something has already happened or some amount of time has already passed — 'I've already eaten,' 'it's already three o'clock,' 'it's been a week.' 已经 is the workhorse word for marking that a state or action is already in place, and it almost always pairs with a final 了 to lock in the 'change has happened' feeling.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 已经 [VERB / TIME EXPRESSION] 了
yǐjīng... le
How to Think About It
已经 alone says 'already' but feels incomplete — the sentence-final 了 is what tells the listener 'and this is the new state of things.' Skipping the 了 leaves the sentence sounding like a half-finished thought. 已经 and 了 are a team: 已经 puts the spotlight on the threshold being crossed, 了 confirms you're on the other side.
Examples
我已经吃饭了。
Wǒ yǐjīng chīfàn le.
I've already eaten.
他已经三十岁了。
Tā yǐjīng sānshí suì le.
He's already thirty.
现在已经过了一个星期。
Xiànzài yǐjīng guò le yī gè xīngqī.
A week has already passed.
Common Mistake
Learners drop the sentence-final 了 because English 'already' is a single word. In Chinese the 已经...了 pairing is the norm; without 了, the sentence often sounds broken or leaves the listener waiting for more.
我已经吃饭。
我已经吃饭了。
Don't Confuse With
Verb + 过
过 marks 'have experienced (at some point),' not 'already done.' 我吃过日本菜 = I've tried Japanese food before; 我已经吃了 = I've already eaten.
刚 / 刚刚 + Verb
刚 emphasizes 'just now (a moment ago)'; 已经 emphasizes 'by now, it's done' regardless of when it happened.
都...了
都...了 emphasizes surprise at how far things have gone ('it's gotten to the point where...'); 已经...了 is a neutral statement of completion.
Practice
我_____ 看过这部电影了。 (already)
Show answer
已经
他已经睡_____。 (asleep state)
Show answer
了
Arrange: 已经 / 了 / 我 / 学 / 三年 / 中文
Show answer
我已经学中文三年了。
Translate: It's already 10 o'clock.
Show answer
已经十点了。
Write a sentence with 已经...了 about something you've finished today.
Show answer
我已经写完作业了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode. Press play to hear the sentence:
现在已经过了一个星期。
One week has already passed.
Trump Demands Unconditional Surrender from Iran — Putin Calls TehranElementary
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 已经 + Verb/Time word in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.