This is the 44th most frequent German word.
bereits
"Bereits" means "already" in English.
In this sentence, "bereits" means "already," indicating that the action of completing the task has been accomplished before the time of speaking.
Ich habe die Aufgabe bereits erledigt.
I have already completed the task.
Here, "bereits" emphasizes the earliness of the time when the competition started, marking it as earlier than usual or expected.
Bereits um sechs Uhr morgens begann der Wettbewerb.
The competition already started at six o'clock in the morning.
In this usage, "bereits" asks if the news has reached the listener prior to the moment of speaking, effectively querying if the action has occurred in the past by the point being discussed.