Confusing Words · TOPIK I
아직 vs 이미 vs 벌써
not yet / still · already (a fact) · already (sooner than expected)
English gets by with “yet”, “still” and “already”. Korean splits “already” in two: 이미 states a fact, 벌써 adds the speaker’s surprise that it happened so soon.
At a glance
| Word | Core meaning | Speaker’s feeling | Typical pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 아직 | not yet / still — the expected change hasn’t happened | neutral (아직도 = impatient) | 아직 안 -았/었어요 아직 -고 있어요 |
| 이미 | already — completed before a point in time | neutral, objective; often “too late” | 이미 -았/었어요 이미 늦었다 |
| 벌써 | already — earlier or faster than expected | surprise | 벌써 -았/었어요? 벌써 ~이네요 |
How they differ
1. 아직 vs 벌써 — opposite answers to the same question. To 밥 먹었어요?, you answer 아직 안 먹었어요 (not yet) or 벌써 먹었어요 (I already ate). With a past-tense verb, 아직 almost always needs 안 or 못. With an ongoing or present state it means “still”: 아직 자고 있어요 (he’s still sleeping), 아직 괜찮아요 (it’s still fine).
2. 이미 vs 벌써 — two kinds of “already”. 이미 reports that something was finished before a reference point, with no emotion: 기차는 이미 떠났습니다 (the train has already left — so it’s too late). 벌써 carries the feeling “so soon?”: 기차가 벌써 떠났어요? (The train left already?!). Because of that feeling, 벌써 is the natural choice for exclamations and questions.
3. Only 벌써 works for the near future. When a guest gets up to leave: 벌써 가요? ○ / 이미 가요? ✕. 이미 describes something already completed, so it can’t react to what is about to happen.
4. Formal writing prefers 이미. Fixed expressions like 이미 알려진 바와 같이 (as is already known) or 이미 말씀드린 대로 (as I already mentioned) never take 벌써.
| Sentence | 아직 | 이미 | 벌써 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ___ 12시예요? 시간 정말 빠르네요. | ✕ | △ | ◎ |
| 기차는 ___ 떠났습니다. 다음 기차를 이용하세요. | ✕ | ◎ | ○ |
| ___ 가요? 좀 더 있다 가세요. | ✕ | ✕ | ◎ |
| 보고서 ___ 안 끝났어요? | ◎ | ✕ | ✕ |
| ___ 알려진 바와 같이 | ✕ | ◎ | ✕ |
◎ natural ○ possible △ awkward ✕ wrong
In use
아직 숙제를 못 했어요.
I haven’t been able to do my homework yet.
동생은 아직 자고 있어요.
My younger brother is still sleeping.
벌써 가을이네요.
It’s autumn already!
한국에 온 지 벌써 1년이 됐어요.
It’s already been a year since I came to Korea.
회의는 이미 시작됐습니다.
The meeting has already started.
그건 이미 알고 있는 내용이에요.
That’s something I already know.
One step further
아직도 adds impatience or surprise that something is still the case: 아직도 안 끝났어요? (It’s still not done?!). 벌써 often pairs with a length of time to say “time flies”: 한국에 온 지 벌써 3년이 됐어요 — see -(으)ㄴ 지. The surprised 벌써 goes naturally with -네요, and “still doing” 아직 with -고 있다.
Common mistakes
아직 먹었어요.
아직 안 먹었어요.
With a past-tense verb, 아직 means “not yet”, so it needs 안 or 못.
(to a guest leaving) 이미 가요?
벌써 가요?
Surprise that something is happening early is 벌써. 이미 only reports completed facts.
벌써 알려진 바와 같이
이미 알려진 바와 같이
Formal fixed expressions use 이미.
Practice
Fill in the blank with 아직, 이미 or 벌써.
1. 영화가 ___ 끝났어요? 두 시간이 이렇게 빨리 지나가다니!
Answer
벌써 — surprise at how fast it ended.
2. 죄송하지만 그 상품은 ___ 품절되었습니다.
Answer
이미 — a completed fact, stated politely and neutrally.
3. 비가 ___ 오고 있어요. 우산 가져가세요.
Answer
아직 — “still” with -고 있다.
4. A: 숙제 다 했어? B: 아니, ___ 못 했어.
Answer
아직 — “not yet” with 못.
5. 우리 아이가 ___ 초등학생이 됐어요.
Answer
벌써 — “already” with the feeling that time flew.
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