"Yet" (negative/question) and "already" (affirmative) express whether something has happened in relation to the present; "still" expresses that something IS CONTINUING or that a situation HAS NOT CHANGED.
YET: used in NEGATIVE sentences and QUESTIONS with present perfect. Negative: "I have not finished yet" = I have not finished yet (it was expected to be done, but it is not yet). Question: "Have you finished yet?" = have you finished? (expectation that it might already be done). YET normally goes at the END of the sentence. ALREADY: used in AFFIRMATIVE sentences and sometimes in surprise questions. "I have already finished" = I finished already (perhaps sooner than expected). "Have you already finished?" = you finished already? (surprise, faster than expected). ALREADY normally goes BEFORE the past participle or mid-sentence.
Have the revisions been incorporated into the final version of the proposal yet? The client is expecting the updated document by noon.
I have not had the chance to review the full budget breakdown yet — could we schedule a short call tomorrow morning to go through the key figures together?
She has already submitted her resignation — by the time the announcement was made to the team, she had already drafted her exit plan.
STILL: expresses CONTINUATION — something that started in the past and IS STILL HAPPENING in the present (or something expected to have finished that has not). Affirmative: "She is still working" = she continues working. "He still lives there" = he is still living there (the situation has not changed). Negative: "She still has not replied" = she still has not replied (with the nuance that she should have by now — more emphatic than "has not replied yet"). STILL normally goes BEFORE the main verb or AFTER the auxiliary: "I still need," "She is still waiting," "He can still come." STILL can express surprise or impatience about something that has not changed.
Three weeks after the incident was reported, the root cause is still under investigation — no formal findings have been communicated to the affected teams.
She still has not received confirmation that her application was received — this is the fourth time she has followed up without a response.
The team is still working on the final testing phase — they expect to have a stable build ready for the client demo by the end of next week.
Common mistake
Three classic errors: (1) "Did you finish yet?" = INCORRECT for present perfect. YET goes with PRESENT PERFECT: "Have you finished yet?" (2) "She still already told me" = INCORRECT. STILL and ALREADY do not combine. (3) "I still not have replied" = INCORRECT. With STILL + negative, the order is: subject + STILL + auxiliary/modal + NOT: "I STILL HAVE NOT replied" or "I STILL HAVEN'T replied." Correct order: Subject + STILL + have/has/is/are + verb. Never: "still not have" (auxiliary before "not"). Fourth error: in Spanish "todavia" can be STILL or YET depending on context — this causes Spanish speakers to mix the two. Rule: CONTINUATION = STILL. FIRST TIME something happens (or has not happened) = YET/ALREADY.
Trick to remember it
The THREE USAGE CONTEXTS: ALREADY (affirmative): "it has already happened" — sometimes sooner than expected. "She has ALREADY finished." Position: before past participle. YET (negative/question): "it has not happened yet / has it happened?" — relevant to the present. "Has she finished YET?" / "She has not finished YET." Position: end of sentence. STILL (affirmative/negative): "the situation CONTINUES without changing" — emphasis on duration. "She is STILL working." "She STILL has not finished." Position: before main verb, after auxiliary. The "surprise" trick: ALREADY = "so soon!" (surprise at speed). YET = "yet/already?" (expectation). STILL = "same as before" (continuation, sometimes with impatience).
Quick rule
Already = already (affirmative, present perfect, action that has occurred). Yet = not yet / yet? (negative/question, present perfect, at end of sentence). Still = still / yet (continuation, before main verb, can be affirmative or negative).
Did you know?
The adverb "yet" in English has two completely distinct grammatical uses that confuse learners: (1) "yet" as a time adverb (present perfect: "have you finished yet?") and (2) "yet" as a formal adversative conjunction equivalent to "but" or "however" ("it was a difficult project, yet the team delivered on time"). This duality of "yet" as both a temporal marker and an adversative conjunction is common in literary and formal English. The adversative "yet" is especially frequent in Shakespeare's English and in 19th-century literary texts: "He was poor, yet he was honest." Today, the adversative "yet" remains an elegant stylistic option in formal written English and is an unmistakable sign of advanced level when used correctly.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Has the finance team submitted the quarterly reconciliation report ___? The auditors are expecting it before the close of business today.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The legal team _____ has not provided final approval on the partnership agreement — we cannot move to the next phase until they do.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Already = already (affirmative, present perfect, action that has occurred). Yet = not yet / yet? (negative/question, present perfect, at end of sentence). Still = still / yet (continuation, before main verb, can be affirmative or negative).
Three classic errors: (1) "Did you finish yet?" = INCORRECT for present perfect. YET goes with PRESENT PERFECT: "Have you finished yet?" (2) "She still already told me" = INCORRECT. STILL and ALREADY do not combine. (3) "I still not have replied" = INCORRECT. With STILL + negative, the order is: subject + STILL + auxiliary/modal + NOT: "I STILL HAVE NOT replied" or "I STILL HAVEN'T replied." Correct order: Subject + STILL + have/has/is/are + verb. Never: "still not have" (auxiliary before "not"). Fourth error: in Spanish "todavia" can be STILL or YET depending on context — this causes Spanish speakers to mix the two. Rule: CONTINUATION = STILL. FIRST TIME something happens (or has not happened) = YET/ALREADY.
The THREE USAGE CONTEXTS: ALREADY (affirmative): "it has already happened" — sometimes sooner than expected. "She has ALREADY finished." Position: before past participle. YET (negative/question): "it has not happened yet / has it happened?" — relevant to the present. "Has she finished YET?" / "She has not finished YET." Position: end of sentence. STILL (affirmative/negative): "the situation CONTINUES without changing" — emphasis on duration. "She is STILL working." "She STILL has not finished." Position: before main verb, after auxiliary. The "surprise" trick: ALREADY = "so soon!" (surprise at speed). YET = "yet/already?" (expectation). STILL = "same as before" (continuation, sometimes with impatience).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy