Already, Just, Yet, Still & Always
Level B1 · Tenses
Already, just, yet, still, and always are short adverbs that constantly appear with certain tenses because each one answers a different question about time: has something happened, and if so, when relative to now, or is it continuing? Already, just, and yet all pair naturally with the present perfect (I've already eaten, I've just arrived, I haven't finished yet), while still and always work with almost any tense but change meaning sharply depending on which one and how they're used.
Each word has one specific job:
- already — in affirmative sentences, means something happened sooner than expected: I've already finished my homework. It goes between the auxiliary and the main verb (I have already seen it), or at the end for extra emphasis (I've finished already).
- yet — in negatives and questions, means up to now: I haven't finished yet. Have you finished yet? It almost always goes at the very end of the sentence, and (unlike already) doesn't normally appear in affirmative statements.
- just — means a very short time ago, right before now: I've just eaten, so I'm not hungry. Like already, it goes between the auxiliary and the main verb.
- still — means something hasn't changed and is continuing, often longer than expected: I still live with my parents. It goes before the main verb, or after be/an auxiliary (She is still waiting; He still hasn't called), and unlike yet, it can be used in affirmative sentences too.
- always + present/past continuous — a special use, not the normal frequency meaning, to complain about something that happens too often and annoys the speaker: You're always losing your keys! He was always complaining about the weather.
Still, not...anymore, and no longer all describe change over time, but they point in opposite directions and have different word order:
- still + affirmative or negative = the situation continues unchanged: I still work there (yes, continuing). I still don't have a car (no, continuing).
- not...anymore = the situation has ended; anymore goes at the end of the sentence: I don't work there anymore (I used to, but not now).
- no longer = the same meaning as not...anymore, but more formal, and it goes before the main verb instead of at the end: I no longer work there.
The most common mistake is confusing still with anymore/no longer because both can follow a negative — but they mean opposite things: I still don't smoke means I never started and that hasn't changed, while I don't smoke anymore means I used to smoke and stopped; mixing them up reverses the meaning completely. A second frequent error is using yet in an affirmative sentence — I have yet finished is wrong; yet needs a negative or a question (I haven't finished yet / Have you finished yet?), and already is the word for affirmative sentences instead. A third mistake is using always with its normal meaning (frequency) instead of the continuous form when complaining — He always forgets his keys sounds like a simple fact, but He's always forgetting his keys carries the speaker's annoyance; only the continuous form has that extra meaning.
Look for already and just between an auxiliary and a past participle in affirmative sentences, yet at the end of negatives and questions, and still before the main verb or after be in sentences describing an unchanged situation. Look also for not...anymore at the end of a negative (or no longer before the verb) describing a stopped situation, and always + is/was + verb-ing when a sentence sounds like a complaint rather than a plain statement of frequency.