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What's more appropriate regarding to exams at university when asking friend about exam that he did? ׂ(For example, I am texting him a message and I would like to ask him if he already after the exam at the university that was started one hour ago)

a) "Have you done with the exam"

b) "Did you finish the exam"?

Is it a matter of style that it's possible to choose anyone of them or one of them is incorrect?

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  • Have you done with the exam is something I hear for the first time. Did you finish the exam? - sounds as if somebody is creating an exam. I would use: How did the exam go?
    – SovereignSun
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:05
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    @SovereignSun It is possible he meant "Are you done with the exam?"
    – MorganFR
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:18
  • I am texting him a message and I would like to ask him if he already after the exam at the university that he started 1 hour ago. Then what's one is the appropriate for such case? If I say "Are you done with the exam" then it's present progressive tense. Then should it not be "Was you done with the exam"?
    – Virtuous Legend
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:56
  • "Is your exam over yet?" "Are you finished yet with your exam?" You're just trying figure out his status, so you need to make the question about the status. When you say, "Did you finish the exam?", it's more like a response to when someone says, "Oh, man, the exam was so long and difficult!" Or, as SovereignSun had said, it sounds like the other person had been making the exam.
    – Teacher KSHuang
    Mar 13, 2017 at 11:16

3 Answers 3

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"to be done with something" can mean to be no longer using it.

Are you done with that newspaper? May I have it?

Are you done with that screwdriver? Shall I put it back on the tool shelf?

"To be done with something" can also mean "to be ready to abandon or quit something" or "to have had enough of something (undesirable), to be ready to put an end to something"

I hate my job. I'm done with it. I'm going to give notice this Friday.

I'm done with your nonsense and your back-talk. You're grounded.

"To be done with" or "to be over and done with something" can also mean to have gotten through it, as an ordeal.

I am done with midterm exams.

I am over and done with finals.

I am over and done with anger management counseling.

I am over and done with physical therapy.

P.S. I am a speaker of AmE. "To have done with" in the sense of "to abandon, as something or someone that deserves to be abandoned", seems a BrE locution to me.

You are expected to have done with such bad study habits by the time you reach university.

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  • I am texting him a message and I would like to ask him if he already after the exam at the university that he started 1 hour ago. Then what's one is the appropriate for such case?
    – Virtuous Legend
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:55
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    You can use "conversational deletion" in a text-message: "Done with the exam yet?" But if he is not done yet, you may disturb him :)
    – Tᴚoɯɐuo
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:57
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    Thank you, but as a non-native English speaker who still learns English I prefer always to know firstly the use of the formal use.
    – Virtuous Legend
    Nov 30, 2016 at 13:01
  • Kindly, combine the information of @Antony in this page (ell.stackexchange.com/a/110944/12430) and then I could choose this answer. Because when I read his answer I could understand fast what's what is the difference between them (finish and done, but unlike you he didn't add the correct alternative, and that's why I'm didn't choose his answer. In addition, I'm not sure about the statement about its using in the UK. I hope someone from the UK will review it.
    – Virtuous Legend
    May 25, 2018 at 14:53
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Neither of those works really.

"Have you done with the exam?"

Is straight up ungrammatical as far as I can tell. You can say "Are you done with the exam?" which usually means whether you've completed it in the recent past. An examiner might ask that when he sees you twiddling your thumbs instead of working.

"Did you finish the exam?"

Probably doesn't quite mean what you want it to either. It is really asking if you did all of it (answered all the questions). Or possibly if you've finished creating it.

"Have you taken the (biology) exam already?"

Would ask about having taken a given exam, whereas

"Are you done with your exams?"

would ask if you've taken all the exams for the current semester/exam taking period.

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  • I am texting him a message and I would like to ask him if he already after the exam at the university that he started 1 hour ago. Then what's one is the appropriate for such case?
    – Virtuous Legend
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:55
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    I'd tend to use "Are you done with your exam?" asking "Have you finished your exam?" would work as well though.
    – DRF
    Nov 30, 2016 at 13:01
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"Have you done with..." would only be used when asking if you have finished with something you USE. Such as "Have you done with the salt?" Even then, it is a bit of an Americanization.

"Did you finish the exam?" would be used to ask if they managed to do all of the exam, or only part of it.

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    "What have you done with the salt?", sure, but never have I heard anything like "Have you done with something?"
    – MorganFR
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:21
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    "What have you done with the salt?" has a totally different meaning though!
    – Antony Meadley
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:27
  • Yes it does, but that's beside the point. the point is that "have you done with..." on its own makes absolutely no sense to me.
    – MorganFR
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:28
  • @MorganFR I agree. I've been learning English for a very long time and have never met "have you done with..."
    – SovereignSun
    Nov 30, 2016 at 12:55
  • True, it is not exactly common usage. But I have heard it used by several different people over the years.
    – Antony Meadley
    Dec 2, 2016 at 17:31

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