Learn English – “I’m done” or “I’ve done”

auxiliary-verbsverbsword-choice

When someone asks whether you have completed a task e.g. shopping, dinner. What should be your answer?

I am done.

or

I have done.

To me, the former sentence's formation, Sub + VBe+ Past Participle, falls to passive voice. Therefore, it has a totally different meaning from I have done Sub + Predicate (verb intransitive).

Addendum:

According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary 3rd ed., the verb do is an intransitive verb in the meaning of complete/finish.

In the sentence, same formation as I am done:

I am beautiful.

The verb am (of VBe) links the adj beautiful to the subject of the sentence I. Therefore I, the subject of the sentence, is beautiful (in other words, state of being).

Then in the sentence :

I am done.

The subject, I, is linked to the adjective done. So the subject's state of being is done, in other words dead?

Best Answer

Done is used as the past participle in combination with have, obviously, but done is also used as an adjective meaning "carried out, completed, or treated in a particular way: her hunting days were done" (Webster's); as such, either statement is correct depending on the context. Usually, "I have done" would require an object (done what, precisely?) and "I am done" would signify that one was finished with, say, a task. At least in the U.S., a person would be much more likely to say "I'm done" to indicate the conclusion of an activity like homework or chores, and so on.

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