Present perfect: just, yet & already

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Use

We use the present perfect to talk about general experiences in the past.
Here, the key words are just, already and yet.

– just (German: gerade): tells us something has just happened
i.e I have just seen the boss

– already (German: schon): tells us something happened sooner than we thought it would
i.e. I have already done my homework

– yet (German: bis jetzt): tells us that we think something will happen
i.e. Have you written the report yet

Note: “yet” is only used in questions and negatives.

Form

We form the present perfect with the verb to have and the past participle of the main verb.

Irregular Verbs

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Positive Sentences

Just – I have just spoken to Dave
Already – She has already been to Milan.

Negative Sentences

Yet – I haven’t called the customer yet

Questions

Have you just eaten?
Have you already done your homework?
Have you done your homework yet?

Short Form

The following short forms are used in speech and informal writing:
I have – I’ve
you have – you’ve
he has – he’s
she has – she’s
it has – it’s
we have – we’ve
you have – you’ve
they have – they’ve

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