Episode 19: Have You Ever…?

ever/never/just/already/yet — Yuri Gagarin, 1961 (A2-B1)

Grammar Box

Meaning: These words work with Present Perfect to show when or how often. Ever = at any time, never = not at any time, just = very recently, already = sooner than expected, yet = not happened but expected.

Form: ever/never/just go between have/has and past participle | already can go middle or end | yet goes at end

Example 1: Have you ever been to Paris? (life experience)

Example 2: I have just finished my work. (very recent)

Common mistake: Wrong: I have finished already. Better: I have already finished. (or: I have finished already.)

The Question

Luna read: “Have you been ever to Paris?” It looked wrong. “Has she finished yet her homework?” Also strange. Her watch glowed. Professor Wisdom appeared. “These little words have special positions in Present Perfect sentences. Come. Let’s meet the first human who ever left Earth.”

The Journey

The world shifted. Luna stood in a field outside Moscow. April 12, 1961. A spacecraft had just landed. A man climbed out. He was Yuri Gagarin, twenty-seven years old. His orange suit was dirty. His face was sweaty. His smile was enormous.

Reporters ran toward him. Questions flew like rockets. “Have you just landed?” “Have you seen Earth from space?” “Has anyone ever done this before?”

Gagarin laughed. He was a pilot’s son from a small village. He had never imagined this moment. As a child, he had watched German planes bomb his home. He had worked in a factory. He had studied hard. He had trained harder. But nothing prepared him for what he had just experienced.

“Have you already spoken to the Premier?” a reporter asked. “Not yet,” Gagarin said. “I have just arrived.”

The journey had been terrifying. The spacecraft had shaken violently during re-entry. The parachute had almost failed to open. Gagarin had ejected from the capsule at seven thousand meters. He had fallen through clouds. He had landed in a farmer’s field.

A woman and her granddaughter had seen him first. They had never seen a cosmonaut before. “Have you come from outer space?” the girl asked. “Yes, I have,” Gagarin said. “But don’t be afraid. I’m Soviet, like you.”

This was history’s first moment. No human had ever orbited Earth before. Nobody had ever seen our planet as a blue sphere floating in darkness. Nobody had ever felt weightlessness like this. Gagarin was the first. He would never be forgotten.

The flight had lasted only 108 minutes. But those minutes changed everything. Humans had always looked at stars and wondered. Now they knew. Space was reachable. Dreams were possible.

Luna watched people celebrating. She could smell the spring grass. She could hear cheering. She could feel the joy of impossible becoming real. The question “Have you ever?” now had a new answer.

The Insight

“Listen to how they asked questions,” the Professor said. “‘Have you ever done this?’ ‘Have you already spoken?’ ‘Not yet.’ These words work with Present Perfect to show when or how often.”

He continued, “Ever means ‘at any time in your life.’ We use it in questions. ‘Have you ever been to space?’ Never is the negative. ‘I have never been there.’ Just means very recently. ‘I have just arrived.’ Already shows something happened sooner than expected. ‘Have you already finished?’ Yet shows something hasn’t happened but we expect it. ‘Not yet.'”

“The position matters. Ever and never go between have/has and the past participle. Just goes there too. Already can go there or at the end. Yet goes at the end of negative sentences and questions.”

Practice Zone

More Examples:

1. “Have you ever tried sushi?” — Life experience question.
2. “I have never seen snow before.” — Negative life experience.
3. “She has just finished her exam.” — Very recent action.
4. “They have already left the building.” — Completed sooner than expected.
5. “Has he called you yet?” — Expected action question.
6. “We haven’t decided yet.” — Expected action not completed.

Exercises:

1. Fill in the blank: Have you _____ (ever) been to Japan?

2. Choose the correct:
   a) I have finished already my work.
   b) I have already finished my work.

3. Put the words in order:
   – has / never / she / pizza / eaten
   – have / just / we / arrived

4. Complete: Have you done your homework _____? (Use yet)

5. Your turn: Write a question using “Have you ever…?”

Answer Key:

1. ever
2. b) I have already finished my work
3. She has never eaten pizza / We have just arrived
4. yet
5. Check: Did you put “ever” between “have” and the past participle? Examples: “Have you ever met a famous person?” “Have you ever climbed a mountain?” “Have you ever forgotten someone’s birthday?”

The Lesson

They returned to Luna’s room. Luna smiled. “I have never traveled to space. But I have just learned something new.” The Professor nodded. “Yes. And like Gagarin, we’re all experiencing life for the first time. Every day gives us new answers to ‘Have you ever?’ Keep exploring. Keep learning. The universe is waiting.”