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still, yet and already: time

Meanings​

Still, yet and already can all be used to talk about things which are going on, or expected, around the present. Briefly:

  • still is used to say that something is continuing and has not stopped
  • yet is used to talk about something that is expected
  • already is used to say that something has happened early, or earlier than it might have happened.

still​

Still is used to say that something has, perhaps surprisingly, not finished.

  • She’s still asleep.
  • Is it still raining?
  • I’ve been thinking for hours, but I still can’t decide.
  • You’re not still seeing that Jackson boy, are you?

Still usually goes with the verb, in ‘mid-position’ (see here).

yet​

Not yet is used to say that something which is expected has not happened (but we think that it will).

  • ‘Is Sophie here?’ ‘Not yet.’
  • The mail hasn’t come yet.

In questions, we use yet to ask whether something expected has happened.

  • Is supper ready yet?
  • Has the mail come yet?

Yet usually goes at the end of a clause, but it can go immediately after not in a formal style.

  • Don’t eat the pears – they aren’t ripe yet.
  • The pears are not yet ripe. (more formal)

already​

Already is used to say that something has happened earlier than expected, or earlier than it might have happened.

  • ‘When’s Sophie going to come?’ ‘She’s already here.’
  • ‘You must go to Scotland.’ ‘I’ve already been there.’
  • Have you already finished? That was quick!

Already usually goes with the verb, in ‘mid-position’ (see here). It can also go at the end of a clause, for emphasis.

  • Are you here already? You must have run all the way.

We do not usually put already before time expressions.

  • When I was fourteen I already knew that I wanted to be a doctor. (not Already when I was fourteen …)

still not or not yet?​

Still not looks back towards the past; not yet looks towards the future.

Compare:

  • She still hasn’t got a job. (Looking back: she hasn’t had a job for a long time, and this situation is continuing.)
    She hasn’t got a job yet. (Looking forward: she hasn’t got a job now, but we’re hoping that she will get one.)
  • I still can’t speak Russian, after all these years of study.
    I can’t speak French yet, but I hope I will be able to soon.

yet or already in questions​

Questions with already often suggest that something has happened. Compare:

  • Have you met Professor Hawkins yet? (= I don’t know whether you’ve met him.)
    Have you already met Professor Hawkins? (= I think you’ve probably met him.)
  • Is my coat dry yet?
    Is my coat dry already? That was quick!

Tenses​

Various tenses are possible with all three words. In British English, perfect tenses are common with already and yet; Americans often use past tenses. Compare:

  • Have you paid yet? (BrE)
    Have you paid / Did you pay yet? (AmE)
  • She has already left. (BrE)
    She (has) already left. (AmE)

All three words can be related to a past moment instead of to the present.

  • I went to see if she had woken up yet, but she was still asleep. This was embarrassing, because her friends had already arrived.

yet meaning ‘still’​

Yet is normally used in questions and negative sentences. But it is sometimes used in affirmative sentences in a formal style to mean ‘still’.

  • We have yet to hear from the bank. (= We are still waiting to hear …)

all ready​

All ready is not the same as already: it simply means the same as all + ready. Compare:

  • ‘When’s Megan coming?’ ‘She’s already arrived.’
  • ‘Are you all ready?’ ‘No, Dan isn’t.’
note

For still as a discourse marker meaning ‘however’, (see here).