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Is "we are finished" grammatically correct? I thought it would be more correct to say "We have finished".

herisson
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Victor Mohube
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2 Answers2

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Saying I/we are finished implies that the person in question is in a state of being finished with some task. It is referring to the person and not specifically the task.

I/we have finished refers to the task itself being finished or complete, and perhaps the person has moved on to another task or is waiting for something to occur.

KnightHawk
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There is a difference in meaning, at least in idiomatic usage.

We have finished indicates that a task is complete. We have no more to do.

We are finished is often used to convey a feeling such as we are doomed or we have lost. There is nothing more that we are able to do.

Chenmunka
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    Not necessarily. If I want to indicate I've finished a task right at the moment at which I've finished it, I generally say I am finished. –  Aug 11 '14 at 14:31
  • @GeorgePompidou You might, but that would be distinctly unusual. Chenmunka's answer is correct that you would proclaiming your doom. – Andrew Leach Aug 11 '14 at 14:36
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    There are two constructions using be here. 'The window was broken' might be describing an event ('broken' past participle) or state ('broken' participial adjective). There is still the odd lingering usage of the perfect formed using be as the auxiliary. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 11 '14 at 14:39
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    It may be a British vs American usage thing @Andrew. I've never heard someone say I have finished to let someone know that he's finished. The question is are you finished? and the answer is yes; I am finished. –  Aug 11 '14 at 14:40
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    Aha. Yes; quite probably, @George. BrE might possibly ask "Are you finished?" but the answer always uses have. – Andrew Leach Aug 11 '14 at 14:41
  • @George: in AmE, at least, you usually wouldn't say "I have finished" but "I've finished". Although "I'm finished" sounds more common to me. – Peter Shor Aug 11 '14 at 14:42
  • That's what I'm saying @Peter—I didn't use the contractions to be more clear; I thought it would be implied that the contractions are more frequently used. –  Aug 11 '14 at 14:47
  • @Andrew I've certainly heard "I'm finished here" more often than "I've finished here" (around Manchester). "I'm finished." is also not too uncommon. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 11 '14 at 14:48
  • @EdwinAshworth "I'm finished here" is different. – Andrew Leach Aug 11 '14 at 14:52
  • I hear "I'm done" or "I've finished". Although "I'm finished here" or "I'm finished with this" are quite common. "I'm finished" on its own may be a US usage but I can't say I hear it very often. – Chenmunka Aug 11 '14 at 14:55
  • The Google Ngrams for "I've not finished" and "I'm not finished" seem to show that the trends are towards favouring the latter, even (since 1960) in British English. The trends persist when a 'with' is tacked on to disambiguate more precisely. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 11 '14 at 15:33
  • It changes again when you indicate what you are finished with. I am finished with the project vs I have finished the project. – SrJoven Aug 11 '14 at 15:52
  • @SrJoven How do you get a Google Ngram for "I am finished with the project"? – Edwin Ashworth Aug 11 '14 at 19:26
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    @EdwinAshworth Omit pronoun? am finished with the,have finished with the,have finished the – SrJoven Aug 11 '14 at 19:48