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I hear Americans sometimes say

"Is this available yet?"

and it seems not right to me. It just sounds weird,
IMHO the word yet doesn't fit there (but hey, I am not a native speaker).

Isn't it better to say

"Is this available already?"

Is it only Americans saying that, or also British?

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  • Why is this downvoted? I have no idea.
    – peter.petrov
    Apr 16, 2020 at 13:16
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    There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking "Is this available yet?" if you are waiting for something to become available. You would only use already if you were surprised to find it available so soon.
    – Kate Bunting
    Apr 16, 2020 at 13:32
  • @KateBunting OK, thank you, I guess it's the usual translation of yet in my language that confuses me, and always makes me think that yet is not properly used here. Thanks.
    – peter.petrov
    Apr 16, 2020 at 13:36
  • "Is this available already?" / "Is this already available?" does show surprise, and could be rhetorical (the answer staring one in the face) if one is looking at the new model say with a car dealer.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Apr 16, 2020 at 13:58

1 Answer 1

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‘Is this available yet?’ is more natural and this does not depend on whether you are using British English or American English.

Adverbial position is something that one learns from experience. Some adverbs are more natural-sounding when placed before an adjective; others are best placed after it. In your case ‘Is this already available?’ sounds better, but I cannot think of a grammatical reason as to why.

Note that there is a subtle difference in meaning between the two phrases. ‘Is this available yet?’ is more expectant, whereas ‘Is this already available?’ is softer and more polite, at least to my ears.

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  • Thanks for this information.
    – peter.petrov
    Apr 16, 2020 at 14:01
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    For greater emphasis (to show astonishment rather than mild surprise), the adverb would usually be 'promoted' to the terminal position, which is more salient. "Is this available already!?"
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Apr 16, 2020 at 14:52

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