Referring to the future
The following structures that are used to refer to future actions in Chinese are organized according to our grammar points by level.
Contents
A1 Referring to the future
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "be going to" with "yao" | Subj. + 要 + Verb (+ 了) | 我 要 去 吃饭，你 去 吗？ |
| Standard negation with "bu" | 不 + Verb / Adj. | 他们 不 是 坏 孩子。 |
| Wanting to do something with "yao" | 要 + Verb | 我 要 吃饭 。 |
A2 Referring to the future
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Auxiliary verb "yao" and its multiple meanings | 要 + Noun / 要 + Verb | 我 要 一 杯 水。 |
| Comparing "yao" and "xiang" | 要 vs 想 | 我 要 一 杯 水 。 我 想 你 。 |
| Expressing "will" with "hui" | 会 + Verb | 明天 你 会 来 吗？ |
| In the future in general with "yihou" | 以后，⋯⋯ | 以后，你 不要 问 我。 |
B1 Referring to the future
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou" | Event + 之前 / 之后 ，⋯⋯ | 出国 之前 ，他 和 女朋友 分手了 。 |
B2 Referring to the future
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Assessing situations with "kanlai" | 看来 + Judgment to the Situation；在 + Person + 看来 | 看来他不来了，都这么晚了。 |
| Expressing "never again" with "zai ye bu" | Subj. + 再也 + 不 + Verb Phrase + 了 | 我 再也 不 想 跟 你 说话 了 。 |
| Expressing a last chance with "zaibu... jiu..." | 再不…… 就…… | 再不 抢 就 没 了 。 |
| Expressing future with "jiang" | Subj. + 将 / 将要 / 将会 + Verb Phrase | 比赛 结果 将 在 月底 公布 。 |
