VOA名师答疑2023 yet 和 already的区别

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the differences between “yet” and “already.”

大家好! 本周《名师答疑》，我们回答关于yet和already有什么区别的问题。

Dear Learning¹ English, I can learn a lot from you.

亲爱英语学习栏目，我跟着你们学到了很多。

I have a question about the difference between “already” and “yet.”

我有一个关于yet和already之间有什么区别的问题。

For example: Have you already finished your homework?

例如：你已经做完作业了？

Have you finished your homework yet?

你已经做完作业了吗？

Which sentence is natural?

哪句话比较自然？

Is there any difference in meaning between these two sentences?

这两个句子在意思上有什么不同吗？

Thank you, Hiroyuki from Japan.

谢谢你，来自日本的弘之。

This is a great question, Hiroyuki!

这是一个很好的问题，弘之！

We answered a question a few weeks back about the differences between “yet” and “still.”

几周前，我们回答了一个问题，关于yet和still有什么区别。

Thank you for bringing “already” into the discussion².

谢谢你将already引入讨论。

Your example sentences are in question form, which highlights³ some slight differences between the two words.

你的例句是疑问句，这突显了这两个词之间的一些细微差别。

Both questions are “natural,” as in native English speakers would use both these questions.

这两个问句都“很自然”，英语母语者都会这样说。

The difference between them comes from how and why we use them.

它们之间的区别在于我们使用它们的方式和原因。

Let’s look and “yet” and “already” by themselves, then we will look at the differences in your questions.

让我们先看看这两个词本身，然后再看看你的两个问句的区别。

“Yet” is an adverb and is often used at the end of a statement or question.

yet是副词，常用在陈述句或疑问句的末尾。

We use “yet” in connection with expected actions.

我们用yet来表示预期的行动。

We often use “yet” in questions and negative statements.

经常用于疑问句和否定陈述句。

Here’s an example: Class starts in five minutes and I haven’t gotten out of bed yet.

举个例子：五分钟后就要开始上课了，而我还没起床。

The use of “yet” expresses the idea that the student might be late for class.

yet的用法表达了学生上课可能迟到的意思。

It connects the class time to their current state.

将上课时间与学生的当前状态联系起来。

When we use “yet” in questions, we are unsure if the action has been completed or not and we are checking either way by asking a yes or no question.

当我们在疑问句中使用yet时，我们不确定动作是否已经完成，通过询问是或否的问题来验明这两种情况。

Here is an example:

这里有一个例子：

Question: You are moving next month! Have you found an apartment yet?

问题：你下个月就要搬家了！你找到公寓了吗？

Answer: Not yet. I am still looking at places.

回答：还没有。我还在看房子。

By using “yet” in the question, we guess that the person answering the question has not completed the action up to this point in time.

通过在问句中使用yet，我们猜测回答问题的人到目前为止还没有完成这一动作。

“Already” is an adverb and we use it before the verb in a sentence.

already是一个副词，用于句子的动词之前。

We use “already” for actions that we expect to occur or have occurred depending on if we use “already” in a statement or question.

根据我们是在陈述句还是疑问句中使用already，这个词可以用于表示我们预期会发生或已经发生的动作。

When we use “already” in statements the action has occurred.

当我们在陈述句中使用already时，动作已经发生了。

The paper is due tomorrow and I’ve already written it.

论文明天要交，我已经写好了。

When we use “already” in a question, we are suggesting that the action may be complete.

当我们在疑问句中使用already时，我们是在暗示动作可能已经完成。

We want confirmation⁴ or denial⁵ in an answer.

希望在回答中得到确认或否认。

Question: You are moving next month! Did you already find an apartment?

问题：你下个月就要搬家了！你已经找到公寓了？

Answer: Yep, we found a place last week!

回答：是的，我们上个星期找到了一个地方！

Now let’s look at your two questions.

现在让我们来看看你的两个问句。

Have you already finished your homework?

你已经做完作业了？

Have you finished your homework yet?

你已经做完作业了吗？

In the first question, the questioner may believe that the listener has finished their homework by using already.

在第一个问句中，提问者用already，可能认为听话者已经完成了作业。

Once again, it is just a guess.

重申一下，这只是一种猜测。

In the second question, by using “yet,” the questioner is not sure if the homework has been completed or not.

在第二个问句中，提问者使用yet，表明不确定作业是否已经完成。

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Hiroyuki!

弘之，请让我们知道这些解释和例子是否对你有帮助！

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

以上就是本期《名师答疑》。

I’m Faith Pirlo.

我是费思·皮尔洛。

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 discussion   

n.讨论，谈论；论述

参考例句：

• It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
• After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨，和平协议渐渐有了眉目。

3 highlights   

n.头发挑染部分；全球知名儿童刊物及相关产品的发行和销售商的名称、商号及商标

参考例句：

• The report highlights the major problems facing society today. 报告特别强调了当今社会所面临的主要问题。
• The report highlights a number of instances of injustice. 这篇报道重点列举了一些不公正的实例。

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

5 denial   

n.否认；拒绝，拒绝给予

参考例句：

• The newspaper printed a denial of the untrue story.报社刊登了否认不实消息的声明。
• Her denial of my advice hurts me.她拒绝我的忠告伤害了我。