벌써, 이미, 어느새 (and 어느덧) They are related and the difference is sometimes small, but they do have different usages too. - 벌써: earlier than the time expected. (has an element of surprise) - 이미: before the present time. (emphasizes the unchangeable nature, with no sense of surprise) - 어느새: happening before one notices it. Before the person knows/knew or realizes/realized. - 어느덧: as time went by. Similar to 어느새, but more relaxed (less of a surprise) and literary. 새 (contraction of 사이) means a duration between two points in time. 어느새 is short for 어느 사이에, which is literally "during an unnoticed passage of time". 덧 means time as a fast moving, elusive entity, so 어느덧 signifies "(already) at a new unfamiliar time"). Examples will make it clearer (alternative choices are given in parentheses): - 이런, 벌써 여덟 시다. Gee, it's already eight o'clock. (어느새) - 그가 죽은 지 벌써 오년이나 됐다: It's already 5 years since he died (어느새, 이미). - 이미 엎질러진 물이다: It's spilled milk already. (벌써) - 이미 지난 일이니 너무 상심하지 마: Don't bug yourself with what's already past. (벌써) - 우리들도 어느새 성장해서 어른이 되었다: Before we realized we have all grown to be adults too. (어느덧, 벌써) - 하늘엔 어느새 달이 떠 있었다: Before I knew the moon was already up in the sky. (어느덧, 벌써)) - 세월은 흘러 그들도 어느덧 노인이 되었다: Time passed and they now found themselves in old age. (어느새, 벌써)

when you have finished a certain thing or work, you can use 'already' to describe about that time since your work is finished. Normally, We use 'already' to say that something happened sooner than expected. We can use before the main verb or between an auxiliary or modal verb and the main verb as well. For example, (1) I have already finished my meal. (2) Our school bus has already left for it's destination. (3) She's only six years old and she can already master any kind of religious scripture.