"Are you finished?" or "Have you finished?"
By XoyyoX
@XoyyoX (1055)
China
June 24, 2009 9:10pm CST
Anyone here likes to tell me the differences between "Are you finished?" and "Have you finished"? I browsed some ESL forums, and some of them said "are you finished" carries a derogatory meaning, and it's more colloquial. Is that true?
Take the following situation for example: if an ESL teacher wants to know whether the students have finished their discussion or not, can the teacher say "are you finished" or "have you finished?" Thanks.
2 responses
@Hurray (64)
• Canada
1 Jul 09
Hi.
I forgot to mention that another phrase is also used both ways: "Are you done?"
As in: "Are you done bickering?" or,
Somebody wants to clean the table after a meal and will ask to the people still seated: "Are you done?" - before they start clearing the table.
Or, you were doing a chore and after a while you are being asked: "Are you done?"
Either phrases.
Hurray
@Hurray (64)
• Canada
26 Jun 09
Hello Xoyyo;
"Are you finished?" is being said to a person who has been complaining, whining, displaying anger but more often hostility with verbally accusing or insulting someone else. Usually the person being the subject of this verbal highly emotional thing would wait for a pause of the angry person, let's say, and in an effort to have that person stop totally would say, "Are you finished?"
"Have you finished?" your homework, your task, your paperwork, etc.
Hurray
