Speaker 1: Just already yet three little words. They should be simple, right,
but then when you try to use them in conversation,
maybe sometimes you're not really sure which one sounds right.
Should you say I just finished or I already finished?
And what about I haven't finished yet? These are small words,
but they can be kind of confusing. So for today's
podcast English Lesson, we're going to look at how you
can actually use just already and yet in everyday conversation.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City, and here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help you people speak
English better. And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode oneenty nineteen.
Just already and Yet How to really use them? Let's
start with just We use just to talk about something
that happened very recently. Like imagine your friend calls and says, oh, hey,
what are you doing. You might say I just got home.
That means you arrived a short time ago. Or maybe
someone asks you if you've eaten. You might say, yeah,
I just had lunch. And by the way, in everyday
American English, we often use the simple past with just
like I just finished or I just ate, Even though
textbooks often teach the present perfect. Either way just shows
that the action happened a short time ago. And by
the way, just in case, if you want to learn
four other ways to use, just check out podcast episode
oneenty twelve. Next up, let's look at already. We use
already to show that something happened earlier than expected or
sooner than someone thought. Like imagine your boss asks did
you finish that report? And you can reply, yeah, I
already finished it. That suggests that maybe they didn't expect
you to be done yet. Or imagine a friend says, oh,
are you ready to go? You can say yeah, I'm
already ready. That means you finished preparing sooner than expected.
So already often has that feeling of sooner than expected
or before now. And here's another very common way we
use already in everyday conversation. We also use already to
say that we have done something before now, especially when
someone suggests an idea or asks about it. Like imagine
your friend says, well, let's watch Pirates of the Caribbean.
You could reply, nah, I already saw it. In this case,
you're not talking about something that happened sooner than expected.
You're simply saying that this is not new for you. You've
done it before, and you're really not interested in doing
it again. Here's another example. Maybe someone says, hey, do
you want to try that new restaurant? You could say,
I already tried it so again. In these situations, already
just means before now, and I did that, so I'm
not interested in doing it again. Now. Let's look at yet.
We use yet in negative sentences and questions to talk
about something that we expect to happen, but it hasn't
happened up to now. Like imagine you're waiting for a friend.
You could say, oh, he hasn't arrived yet. That means
you expect him to arrive, but he hasn't come. Or
someone might ask you, did you finish your homework yet?
You might answer no, not yet. So yet is often
connected to expectation and did you know? We sometimes use
yet before the verb for emphasis, especially in more formal English,
like I just moved here last year and one of
my friends asked, me, Oh, how are things going? I replied,
Everything's good, but I haven't yet found a good place
to buy bagels. So in everyday conversation, most people would
say I haven't found a good place yet, but putting
yet before the verb gives it more emphasis and sounds
a little bit more formal. And by the way, this
usage of yet before a verb often comes up in
English exams like the toek. Now here's where it gets
really interesting. These three words are often used in similar situations,
but they change the meaning slightly. Like imagine someone asks
you about your homework. There are three ways you can answer.
I just finished. That means you finished a short time ago.
I already finished. That means you finished earlier than expected.
I haven't finished yet. That means you still expect to finish,
but it hasn't happened so far. The situation is the same,
but the feeling is different depending on which word you use.
So let's recap. We use just to talk about something
that happened very recently, I just finished. We use already
to show something happened earlier than expect I already finished.
We also use already to mean it happened before and
I'm not interested in doing it now, like I already
saw that movie. And we use yet in negative sentences
and questions to talk about something we expect to happen.
I haven't finished yet. These are small words, but they
can make a big difference in how natural your English sounds.
So here's your challenge this week. Try using these words
just already and yet in your English conversations, and also
pay attention to how people use them in movies, TV shows,
or in podcasts. And keep in mind the best way
to remember English like this and any other word or
phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase,
write it in a sentence that's true for you or
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. Hey,
thanks listening, and remember learning another language is not easy,
but it's not impossible, and I'm here to help you
on your journey.
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