Present Perfect with Already and yet By: Buthaina Al Othman (a) I’ve already eaten. (b) I haven’t eaten yet. (c) Have you eaten yet? (d) Have you eaten already? OR (e) Have you already eaten? Use already to show that an event was completed earlier. Use yet when an event has not been completed. Yet in questions is more neutral than already. The use of already in questions shows that the speaker expects that an event has been completed.

Present Perfect in questions Examples Explanations Have you ever eaten frogs’ legs? No, I haven’t. Have you ever been to the South Pacific? Yes, I have. When did you go there? I went there last year. Use the present perfect with ever when you want to know if something happened. When you ask these questions, you usually expect the answer to be: “Yes, I have”, or “No , I haven’t”. Use the simple past in questions when you want to know when something happened.

Ever and Never in Questions Explanations Examples Use ever in questions with the present perfect to mean “at any time before now”. Ever is not usually used in affirmative statements, (those that mean or use yes). Ever is used in negative statements Use never with the present perfect to mean “at no time before now”. Have you ever eaten Mexican food? Yes, I have eaten it. Not Yes , I have ever eaten it. No, I haven’t ever eaten it. OR No, I have never eaten it.