Present Perfect with just, already, yet
Use these three little words with have/has + a past participle to show how a recent action relates to now: just for something that happened a moment ago, already for sooner than expected, and yet for things still missing, in questions and negatives.
Level: A2. Once you can form the present perfect, three small words make it far more useful: just, already and yet. They tell your listener how a recent action connects to the present moment, and each one sits in its own place in the sentence.
The rule
The present perfect is have or has + the past participle — the third form of a verb (finished, eaten, gone). It links a past action to now. The adverbs just, already and yet each add a different shade of meaning about timing, and your job is to learn both the meaning and the position.
Just means a very short time ago — the action is fresh. It goes between have/has and the participle: I have just arrived.
Already means something happened sooner than expected, or before now. It also goes between the helper and the participle: She has already eaten. It can move to the end of a question to show surprise: Have you finished already?
Yet means “up to now” and points to something still expected but not done. Use it only in questions and negatives, and put it at the end: Have you finished yet? / I haven’t finished yet.
Position of just, already and yet
| Word | Meaning | Usual position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| just | a very short time ago | between have/has and participle | I have just seen her. |
| already | sooner than expected / before now | between have/has and participle | They have already left. |
| already (surprise) | “so soon?” | end of a question | Have they left already? |
| yet (question) | up to now — is it done? | end of the question | Have you called him yet? |
| yet (negative) | not up to now | end of the negative | I haven’t called him yet. |
Example sentences
- I have just arrived.The action happened a moment ago — just sits before the participle.
- She has just called you.Very recent; the news is fresh.
- We have just finished dinner.'just' = a short time ago.
- He has already read that book.Sooner than expected — already between has and read.
- They have already left the office.It is done, before now.
- I have already seen this film.No need to see it again.
- Have you finished your homework yet?A question about something expected — yet at the end.
- Has the bus come yet?Asking if it has happened up to now.
- I haven't eaten yet.A negative — yet at the end.
- She hasn't answered my email yet.Not done up to now.
- Have you eaten already?'already' at the end shows surprise: so soon?
- Is it ten o'clock already?Surprise that time has passed so fast.
- We have just moved to a new flat.A recent change with present relevance.
- The film has already started.It began before we expected.
- I have just woken up.A fresh action this moment.
- Has your sister arrived yet?Expecting her — asking if it has happened.
- They haven't decided yet.Still no decision up to now.
- My parents have already met him.It happened before now.
- Have you packed your bags yet?Checking whether the expected task is done.
- I've just missed the train.A moment ago — with an unwanted present result.
Common mistakes
- ❌ I have finished yet. → ✅ I have already finished. / Have you finished yet? Yet belongs in questions and negatives, not plain positive statements.
- ❌ I have yet finished my work. → ✅ I have already finished my work. Don’t put yet in the middle of a positive sentence; use already there.
- ❌ She has yet not arrived. → ✅ She hasn’t arrived yet. Yet goes at the end of the negative, after the verb.
- ❌ I just have arrived. → ✅ I have just arrived. Just goes after have/has, not before it.
- ❌ Already I have seen it. → ✅ I have already seen it. Already goes with the verb in the middle, not at the front.
- ❌ Have you already your lunch eaten? → ✅ Have you already eaten your lunch? Keep the participle right after the adverb; the object comes last.
A short conversation
A: Have you booked the tickets yet? B: Yes, I’ve just done it — two minutes ago. A: Great. And have you told Mum? B: I’ve already texted her. She knows already!
Usage notes
- Contractions. In speech and informal writing, have/has shrink: I’ve just, she’s already, they haven’t … yet. The adverb keeps its position.
- Just = recently, not “only”. Here just means “a moment ago”. The other meaning of just (“only”, as in just two left) is different — context makes it clear.
- Still vs yet in negatives. I haven’t finished yet is neutral. I still haven’t finished adds impatience or surprise; still goes before haven’t.
- British vs American. With just/already/yet, standard British English uses the present perfect (I have just eaten). American English very often uses the past simple instead (I just ate, Did you eat yet?). Both are understood; this lesson teaches the present-perfect pattern.
Compared with…
- Past simple names a finished time and asks when (I saw her yesterday). The present perfect with just/already/yet keeps the action connected to now and does not give an exact time (I have just seen her). If you add a finished-time word like yesterday, switch to the past simple. See Present Perfect vs Past Simple.
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
Just, already, yet practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: questions about something expected
Show answer
yet — 'Yet' goes at the end of a question asking whether something has happened.
3 Put the words in order.
Show answer
I have just arrived — 'Just' goes between 'have' and the participle: I have just arrived.
4 Match each word to its job.
- just
- already
- yet (negative)
- yet (question)
Show answer
- just → a moment ago
- already → sooner than expected
- yet (negative) → not up to now
- yet (question) → is it done up to now?
Just = recent; already = early/before now; yet = up to now, in questions and negatives.
Hint: has + not
Show answer
hasn't — Negative present perfect: hasn't + participle, with 'yet' at the end.
Quiz
Present perfect: just, already, yet quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
-
Show answer
between have/has and the participle — 'Just' sits between the helper (have/has) and the past participle: I have just left.
-
Show answer
have — 'They' takes 'have' + past participle: they have already eaten.
-
Show answer
yet — 'Yet' is used in questions and negatives and goes at the end.
-
Show answer
I have already finished. — Positive statement → 'already' in the middle, not 'yet'.
-
Show answer
yet — A question about something expected ends with 'yet'.
-
Show answer
a very short time ago — With the present perfect, 'just' means a very short time ago.
-
Show answer
She hasn't arrived yet. — Negative: hasn't + participle + 'yet' at the end.
-
Show answer
surprised it happened so soon — 'already' at the end of a question shows surprise that it happened so soon.
-
Show answer
have — 'We' takes 'have': we have just arrived.
-
Show answer
They have already left. — 'Already' goes between the helper and the participle: have already left.
-
Show answer
already — Positive statement about something done sooner than expected → 'already'.
-
Show answer
yesterday — A finished-time word like 'yesterday' needs the past simple, not the present perfect.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Word | Use | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| just | a moment ago | after have/has | I have just left. |
| already | before now / so soon | after have/has (or end for surprise) | She has already gone. |
| yet | up to now (? / negative) | end of sentence | Have you gone yet? |
Next
- Next topic: Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- Builds on: Present Perfect for Experience (ever, never)
- Back to the English grammar section
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
All English grammar topics
Every grammar point in order, from your first sentence to advanced structures. Pick one and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet You are here
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)