have you finished the assignment yet

• Rules/Help/FAQ Help/FAQ
• Members Current visitors
• Interface Language

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

• English Only

Are you finished or have you finished or Did you finished?

• Thread starter Amber_1010
• Start date Aug 31, 2012

Senior Member

• Aug 31, 2012

When a mum wanna know if her kid's homework is done or not so that they can go out. Should she say(British English) 1. Did you finish your homework? 2. Have you finished you homwork? 3. Are you finished with your homework? I'll chose the second one..... << second question deleted >> Thank you.  

In AE these would all be idiomatic and equally acceptable. But note: When a mum wanna wants to know if her kid's homework is done or not so that they can go out. Should she say(British English) 1. Did you finish your homework? 2. Have you finished you r hom e work? 3. Are you finished with your homework? I'll chose the second one..... << response to second question deleted >> Thank you  

Keith Bradford

In BE: 1. Did you finish your homework at some time in the past, e.g. Did you finish your homework yesterday? 2. Have you finished your homework now. This is the correct answer. 3. Are you finished with your homework = Do you want to continue it or have you done enough for the moment?  

Amber_1010 said: When a mum wanna wants to* know if her kid's homework is done or not so that they can go out. Should she say(British English) 1. Did you finish your homework? 2. Have you finished you r hom e work? 3. Are you finished with your homework? Click to expand...

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

• I 've already visited three universities.
• She 's just won the match.
• I haven't made a decision yet .
• ‘ Have you seen that new film yet ? ’   ‘ Yes, I have . / No, I haven't . ’
• visit  →  visit ed   arrive  →  arriv ed
• have, had  →  had   lose, lost  →  lost
• do, did  →  done   eat, ate  →  eaten
• They 've just made a big announcement.
• Have you finished that book yet ?
• Spring has already arrived in Madrid!
• Practice 1   Gap-fill
• Practice 2   Gap-fill
• Practice 3   Multiple choice
• Practice 4   Multiple choice
• Practice 5   Gap-fill
• Practice 6   Multiple choice
• Practice 7   Multiple choice
• Practice 8   Gap-fill
• Practice 9   Gap-fill
• Practice 10   Gap-fill
• Practice 11   Gap-fill

• Languages ›
• English as a Second Language ›

The Right Way to Use 'Already' and 'Yet' in English

Doug Belshaw / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

• Pronunciation & Conversation
• Writing Skills
• Reading Comprehension
• Business English
• Resources for Teachers
• TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London
• M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music
• B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music

The words  already  and  yet  are common words in English that generally refer to an event that has or has not happened before another event in the past or present:

• She hasn't finished her assignment yet.

The event has not been completed up to the present moment in time.

• Jennifer had already eaten by the time he arrived.

The event occurred before another event took place.

Present Perfect

Both already and yet refer to activities that have or haven't occurred before the present moment in time. In both cases, the adverb  recently  could be substituted with the same meaning:

• I have already finished my lunch.

I've recently finished my lunch.

• Have you seen Tom yet?

Have you seen Tom recently?

• They haven't visited Rome yet.

They haven't visited Rome recently.

Referring to a Past Event

Already is used to indicate that something that happened before the moment of speaking. However, it refers to something that affects the present moment in time. Let's take a look at a few examples:

• I have already finished the report.

This sentence could be used to express the idea that I finished the report and it is ready to read now.

• She has already seen that film.

This sentence might express that the woman saw the film in the past, so she has no desire in the present moment to see the film.

• They have already eaten.

This sentence would probably be used to state that they are no longer hungry.

The key to using already is to remember that an action that has happened in the past — often in the recent past — affects the present moment or a decision about the present moment in time. Therefore, already  and  yet  are used with the present perfect tense.

Sentence Placement

Already is placed between the auxiliary verb have  and the participle form of the verb. It is used in the positive form and should not be used in the negative:

Subject + have / has + already + past participle + objects

• I have already seen that film.
• Mary has already been to Seattle.

Incorrect usage:

• I have seen already that film.

Already is generally not used in the question form. However, when expressing surprise in a rhetorical question it is sometimes used in informal conversations and added to the end of the sentence:

• Have you eaten already?!
• Have you finished already?!

Asking Questions

Yet is used to check whether something has occurred up to the present moment:

• Have you seen that film yet?
• Has Tim done his homework yet?

Yet  is generally used to ask about something closer to the present moment. Yet is often used when someone expects something to have occurred before the moment of speaking:

• Have you finished that report yet?

 In this case, a colleague expects the report to be finished soon.

Question Placement

Yet is always placed at the end of a question. Notice that yet is not used with question words as questions with yet are yes/no questions:

Have + subject + past participle + objects + yet + ?

• Has she bought a new car yet?

Negative Form

Yet is also used in the negative to express that something that is expected has not yet happened. In this case, yet is placed at the end of the sentence.

Subject + have not / has not + past participle + objects + yet

• She hasn't finished the report yet.
• Doug and Tom haven't telephoned yet.

With the Past Perfect

Already can also be used with the past perfect to express that something had happened before something else:

• She had already eaten when he arrived.
• Jackson had already done his homework when he was asked for help.

With the Future Perfect

Already is also used with the future perfect to express that something will have been completed before something else occurs:

• She will have already finished the paperwork before the meeting.
• Frank will have already prepared the report by the time the boss asks for it.

Coordinating Conjunction

Finally,  yet  can also be used as a coordinating conjunction with the same meaning as  but  to connect two simple sentences into one. Place  yet  after a comma to introduce a dependent clause:

• They'd like to go to that new restaurant, yet they can't get a reservation.
•  He'd already bought tickets to the play, yet he wasn't able to attend the performance.
• ESL Present Perfect Worksheets
• Making Complaints in English
• Confusing Preposition Pairs in English
• Practice Restaurant Dialogue for Ordering Food
• The Difference Between 'Of' and 'From'
• Uses of the Verb To Do
• Comparative and Superlatives for Beginners
• Asking for Information
• Learn How to Offer Help in English
• Guide to Expressions of Quantity
• Time Expressions and Tenses
• Simple vs. Progressive Tenses
• Using Vague Expressions - Being Imprecise
• Contrasting Ideas
• Synonyms and Antonyms for ESL
• How to Give Advice With the "Should" Verb

• B1-B2 grammar

Present perfect: 'just', 'yet', 'still' and 'already'

Do you know how to use just , yet , still and already with the present perfect? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how just , yet , still and already are used.

I've just seen Sai. He's really enjoying his new job. We haven't decided what to do yet. I still haven't called Yumi to see how she is. I've already had lunch but I'll join you for coffee.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

'just', 'yet', 'still' and 'already': Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

We often use just , yet , still and  already with the present perfect because they are related to the present moment. This page focuses on the meaning and use of these words when they are used with the present perfect.

Just used with the present perfect means 'a short time before'.

I've just seen Susan coming out of the cinema. Mike's just called. Can you ring him back, please? Have you just taken my pen?!

Just comes between the auxiliary verb ( have/has ) and the past participle.

Yet used with the present perfect means 'at any time up to now'. We use it to emphasise that we expect something to happen soon. Yet (in this context) is only used in negative sentences and questions.

Have you finished your homework yet? I haven't finished it yet. I'll do it after dinner. A. Where's Sam? B: He hasn't arrived yet.

Yet comes at the end of the sentence or question.

Still used with the present perfect means that something hasn't happened. We use it to emphasise that we expected the thing to happen earlier. Still (in this context) is only used in negative sentences.

I've been waiting for an hour and the bus still hasn't come. They promised me that report yesterday but they still haven't finished it. She still hasn't replied to my email. Maybe she's on holiday.

Still comes between the subject ( the bus, they, etc.) and auxiliary verb ( haven't/hasn't ).

Already used with the present perfect means 'before now'. We use it to emphasise that something happened before something else or earlier than expected.

I've already spent my salary and it's two weeks before payday. He wanted to see Sudden Risk but I've already seen it. The train's left already!

Already can come between the auxiliary and the main verb or at the end of the clause.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

'just', 'yet', 'still' and 'already': Grammar test 2

Language level

Hello, Could you tell me the difference in meaning between these two sentence? I just moved in I've just moved in

• Log in or register to post comments

Hello Khangvo2812,

Generally, we use the present perfect ( I have moved in ) when an action in the past (moving in) has a present result or effect (here I am/I'm your new neighbour). We use the past simple ( I moved in ) when an action is solely in the past without any present echo.

However, for very recent actions in the past with just there is a difference in British and American English. British English speakers tend to use the present perfect with just while American speakers often us the past simple instead. I would say that that is the main difference here. A British English speaker would choose the second sentence, while an American English speaker would be more likely to choose the first.

You can read more about the present perfect and past simple here:

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/past-simple-or-present-perfect

https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/activities-for-learners/b1g003-past-simple-and-present-perfect

The LearnEnglish Team

Hi, team! Can you please clarify why we use "yet" and present perfect tense (we have been to the restaurant...) in the last sentence? As far as i know "yet" mostly used in negetive and questions with present perfect tense. The context is following: B: I ate sushi for the first time on my dad's 50th birthday. He invited the whole family to a Japanese restaurant. A: Did you like it? B: Absolutely. In fact, it was so good that we have been to that restaurant three times yet. And on my mum's birthday, we ordered some sushi and had it at home.

Hello Babanova,

That does not look like a correct use of 'yet' to me. I would use 'already' or 'since then'.

Hello, I think your website is good but it's better to have more practices and tests because for example when we've just studied grammer,we need many perfect tests and challenge to overcome over the grammer subject. We also need advance grammer , if you could add to this site,please. Thank you

Hello mr_bahrami2011,

Thanks for your feedback. There are quite a few advanced grammar points covered in our English grammar reference . There are also usually more exercises on those pages.

I'm also pleased to say that we are working on a C1 grammar and hope to publish it here soon.

You might also want to consider some of the options in our Online courses section if you'd like more in-depth work.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hello I think this is a real good place to learn English, but I am new here I can't find the worksheet in grammar B1 section.

Hello samayullah,

We're glad you found LearnEnglish!

Most of our site has worksheets, but I'm afraid our Grammar and Vocabulary sections do not. One day we'd like to create them, but at the moment it's simply too much work for our small team.

Hi there, I hope you are fine, and doing well. I, personally, think that this is the best website for English learners. However, I have a feedback which is what if you share a video with the grammar lessons, this way I think we will better learn each lesson.

Hi johny-jan,

Thanks for your message! We're always glad to hear that people find LearnEnglish useful and are happy to get suggestions.

That's a great idea about video lessons for grammar. We did a series of webinars on different grammar points which you can find in General English > LearnEnglish webinars .

There are also quite a lot of resources focusing on grammar on our Facebook page  that I expect you might find useful. 

I hope you find something useful there too!

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish Team

Online courses

Group and one-to-one classes with expert teachers.

Learn English in your own time, at your own pace.

One-to-one sessions focused on a personal plan.

Get the score you need with private and group classes.