Time Adverbs 已经 and 快要 | HSK 2 Chinese Grammar Guide

Pattern

已经 / 快要 + verb

Use this HSK 2 pattern to make sentence structure, scope, or emphasis explicit instead of relying on word-for-word English order.

我已经吃饭了。

When to use Time Adverbs 已经 and 快要

Read 已经 / 快要 + verb as a sentence tool, not just as vocabulary. First locate the main action or claim, then ask what 已经 adds to it.

天已经黑了。

It is already dark.

作业已经做完了。

The homework is already finished.

Do not translate 已经 / 快要 + verb mechanically from English; check the Chinese word order first.
Keep 已经 close to the part of the sentence it controls.
Do not overuse the pattern in every sentence; use it when it adds a clear role.

Entraînez-vous sur ce schéma exact avant de continuer.

我吃饭了

I have already eaten

yǐ jīng

Missing grammar piece

Sens

already