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I've read about the usage of finished as an adjective and have a question about it. Does the sentence

I'm finished

express completely the same meaning as the sentence

I'm ready

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    No. Why do you think they have the same meaning?
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 3:55
  • @user3169 Because finished can be used as an adjective after be meaning 'ready'.
    – Dmitrii Bundin
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 3:58
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    Do you mean something like "Now I am finished working so I am ready to go home." Or could you write a sample phrase with the usage you mention?
    – user3169
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 4:56
  • @user3169 M. Swan doesn't provide an example for "I'm ready". He just says that an adjective "finished" can be meaning 'ready'.
    – Dmitrii Bundin
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 6:09
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    Check this out: macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/finished. What Swan mentioned is sense 1. What you seem to be thinking of is sense 2. Be careful. Using it without a good context (that will make what you say make sense) could make your listeners think of sense 3.
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 9:18

2 Answers 2

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You use "I'm finished" in situations when you know you are dead meat, to indicate you are in some serious trouble. A similar expression would be "I'm done for".

However, there are some situations in informal conversations, where I'm finished is used to indicate I'm ready. Obviously, this is incorrect usage.

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  • Could downvoter explain the reason? Is the answer is worng?
    – Dmitrii Bundin
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 6:05
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    @DmitryFucintv I didn't down vote but I imagine it's because this is only one possible use of I'm finished but this usage is not related to your question of finished meaning ready, unless ready to die is the intention.
    – Frank
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 6:17
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    @Manish Giri, I see your answer very good. Too bad that someone downvoted it without even knowing what they are doing.+1
    – Lucian Sava
    Commented Sep 2, 2014 at 9:10
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It depends on the context. Largely, I'm finished' is not equal to 'I'm ready. But if the scene is something like what I will now mention, I'm finished' is understood as 'I'm ready.'

Come on buddy, let's go to movie ~ Sure, but let me complete my homework. Just 10 minutes.

And the friend waits in the room killing time by watching TV.

After 10 minutes...

Jack, I'm finished (with my homework). Let's go

Finished can be used to mean no longer doing something or having thing completed.

People do use this word that way as in here, here and here. See that here, in no example, it means someone is 'ready'.

True, it's used as an adjective and it's quite similar to -I'm done; I'm over with ... etc.

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