Time Adverbs 曾经, 早已, 时刻, 立刻, 连忙 and 急忙
Talk about what you once did with 曾经, what happened long ago with 早已, what you always keep in mind with 时刻, and how fast someone acts with 立刻, 连忙 and 急忙.
Pattern
subject + 曾经 / 早已 / 时刻 / 立刻 / 连忙 / 急忙 + verb
曾经 is “once, but not now”; 立刻 can give orders, while 连忙 and 急忙 only tell what someone already did.
我曾经在上海工作过两年。
When to use Time Adverbs 曾经, 早已, 时刻, 立刻, 连忙 and 急忙
Both go right before the verb. 曾经 means “once, at some time before” and usually suggests the situation is over now; it often comes with 过: 我曾经学过日语. 早已 means “long ago, already for a long time” and stresses that something happened well before now or before another event; it often ends with 了: 电影早已开始了. 早已 is a more formal 早就.
他曾经是我们学校的老师。
He used to be a teacher at our school.
我们到的时候，电影早已开始了。
By the time we arrived, the film had long since started.
这件事我早已忘了。
I forgot about that long ago.
开车的时候要时刻注意安全。
When you drive, always pay attention to safety.
Common traps
- Say 我没去过北京, not 我不曾经去过北京: to deny a past experience, drop 曾经 and use 没…过.
- Say 请你立刻来 or 请你马上来, not 请你连忙来: 连忙 and 急忙 only describe what someone already did, never orders or plans.
- 我曾经住在这里 means you don’t live here any more. If you still do, say 我一直住在这里.
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