already

al·read·y /ɔːlˈredi $ ɒːl-/ S1 W1 adverbadv

1 NOWbefore now, or before a particular time 已经〔表示在此之前或某个特定时间之前〕

The design of the new house is similar to those that have already been built.

新房的设计与那些已建好的房子相似。

The performance had already started when we arrived.

我们到达时表演已经开始了。

2 NOWused to say that something has been done before and does not need doing again 已经〔表示已做过某事，不必再做〕

You already told me that.

你已经告诉过我那件事了。

‘Fancy a coffee?’ ‘No thanks, I already have one.’

“想来杯咖啡吗？”“不了，谢谢，我已经有一杯了。”

3 NOWused to say that something has happened too soon or before the expected time 已经〔表示太早发生或比预期快〕

Have you eaten all that food already?

你已经把所有的食物都吃完了？

Is it 5 o'clock already?

已经5点了？

4 NOWused to say that a situation exists and it might get worse, greater etc 已经〔表示某种情况存在，而且可能进一步恶化、严重等〕

Hurry up, we’re already late.

快点，我们已经迟到了。

n GRAMMAR: Word order

Already often comes at the end of a sentence:

I knew that already.

I was tired already.

I have booked the tickets already.

As well as at the end of a sentence, already can be used in the following ways:

Already can come before a main verb:

I already knew that.

Already comes after ‘be’ when it is the main verb:

I was already tired.

✗Don’t say: I already was tired.

Already comes after the first auxiliary verb:

I have already booked the tickets.

✗Don’t say: I already have booked the tickets.

Examples from the Corpus

already• Is it already 5 o'clock?• Are you leaving already?• Don't buy any more toys for the kids -- they've got plenty already.• She wondered if during that last frenetic occasion when she had seen Sylvie there had already been a premonition of the end.• The building's already costing us way too much money as it is.• "When are you going to do your homework?" "I already did it before dinner!"• This is especially true if you introduce your spouse into an already established business partnership.• I can't believe I already forgot his phone number!• Was the apartment empty when you moved in or was it already furnished?• "Do you want a cup of coffee?" "No thanks, I already have some."• I knew already how everything would end up.• As many teams already know, it is one of the kinder road stops in the league.• "Should I tell Kay?" "She already knows."• As I have already mentioned, we need to raise more political support.• This is a crucial proposition which we have already noted and which will be discussed again later in this book.• By the early 1950s the claim that agriculture saved valuable foreign exchange was already paper-thin.• He's only three and he's already reading.• The show has already started.• This is a challenge which I and my colleague John Davis have already taken up.

Origin already

(1300-1400) all ready “completely ready”

al·read·y adverbadv →n GRAMMAR1

LDOCE Online

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus