déjà
/de.ʒa/
The French word for "already" is déjà.
déjà is a common and versatile way to say 'already' in French.
Meaning: prior to some time (adv)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adverb déjà is typically placed after the conjugated verb in a simple tense.
How do you pronounce it?
/de.ʒa/
Did you know?
- If you ask someone Tu l'as déjà vu ?, you are not just asking if they have seen it 'already' but whether they have 'ever' seen it in their life.
- The word déjà is a contraction of two older words: dès meaning 'since' or 'from' and jà meaning 'already'.
- While English speakers use 'already' for recent events, a French speaker might use déjà to express that something is 'old news' or a common occurrence.
Examples in context
- Tu pars déjà ?You're leaving already?Tatoeba #1531818 by sacredceltic, translation #1531066 by erikspen
- T'es déjà là ?You're here already?Tatoeba #13355133 by genes1s, translation #6561589 by Megz
- Il est déjà là.He is already here.Tatoeba #131437 by sacredceltic, translation #293055 by CK
- La pizza est déjà prête.The pizza is already ready.
- Ils sont déjà arrivés.They have already arrived.
- Je l'ai déjà vu deux fois.I have already seen it twice.
- Il a déjà mangé.He has already eaten.
- Elle a déjà acheté les livres.She has already bought the books.
- Je sais déjà parler français.I already know how to speak French.
- Il a déjà fini le rapport ?Has he already finished the report?
- Ça, c'est déjà fait !That's already done!
- Il est déjà tard.It's already late.
- Nous voilà déjà arrivés !We're already here!
- 1638 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo is preparing to leave the house.
- ManonTu pars déjà ?Are you leaving already?
- HugoOui, j'ai déjà fini mon travail.Yes, I have already finished my work.
- ManonC'est très rapide !That is very fast!
- HugoOui, j'ai déjà terminé de tout préparer.Yes, I have already finished preparing everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “already” translations and entries déjà, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries déjà, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
