When do I use "Already" and when do I use "Yet"?

"Already" = already (affirmative: "I have already eaten"). "Yet" = not yet (negative or question: "I have not eaten yet").

What is the most common mistake with "Already" and "Yet"?

The most common mistake: "I have not already done it" is wrong. In negative sentences the correct word is "yet", not "already": "I have not done it yet".

How do I remember the difference between "Already" and "Yet"?

"Already" goes in affirmatives (between auxiliary and participle). "Yet" goes in negatives and questions (almost always at the end of the sentence).

Recursos

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ESEN

Which one to use?Intermediateadverbioadverbio

AlreadyvsYet

"Already" expresses something happened sooner than expected; "yet" questions or denies whether something happened.

Side-by-side comparison

Already

adverbio

Before the expected time, or that something has happened. Always in affirmative or exclamatory sentences.

Have you already eaten? We were going to cook dinner.
She has already finished the book. She started it yesterday.
I have already sent the email, no need to remind me.

Yet

adverbio

Not up to now / up until now. In negative or question sentences with present perfect.

Have you eaten yet? Dinner is almost ready.
She has not finished the book yet. She is only halfway through.
Is the report ready yet? The client is waiting.

Common mistake

•The most common mistake: "I have not already done it" is wrong.
•In negative sentences the correct word is "yet", not "already": "I have not done it yet".

Trick to remember it

•"Already" goes in affirmatives (between auxiliary and participle).
•"Yet" goes in negatives and questions (almost always at the end of the sentence).

Quick rule

•"Already" = already (affirmative: "I have already eaten").
•"Yet" = not yet (negative or question: "I have not eaten yet").

Did you know?

"Yet" as a conjunction is a completely different beast: "She was tired, yet she kept going" (nevertheless). And "yet to" has an elegant formal use: "I am yet to finish" (I have not finished yet) appears frequently in formal writing and journalism. "I have yet to see a better solution", a sophisticated construction worth knowing.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Pick the right one

Have you tried the new restaurant on Main Street _____?

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

She hasn't called me back _____. I'm starting to worry.

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Related word pairs

SincevsFor

"Since" marks the specific point when something started; "for" indicates how long something has lasted.

StillvsYet

"Still" means something continues to happen; "yet" means something has not happened but is expected.

StillvsAnymore

"Still" = something that continues; "anymore" = something that no longer happens.

AvsAn

'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.

Bryan López

Founder of SpeakUP Academy

July 22, 2026

See all Grammar pairs Explore English suffixes

Side-by-side comparison

Already

adverbio

Before the expected time, or that something has happened. Always in affirmative or exclamatory sentences.

Have you already eaten? We were going to cook dinner.
She has already finished the book. She started it yesterday.
I have already sent the email, no need to remind me.

Yet

adverbio

Not up to now / up until now. In negative or question sentences with present perfect.

Have you eaten yet? Dinner is almost ready.
She has not finished the book yet. She is only halfway through.
Is the report ready yet? The client is waiting.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Pick the right one

Have you tried the new restaurant on Main Street _____?

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

She hasn't called me back _____. I'm starting to worry.

Exercise 3 · Form the word