Difference between revisions of "Comparing "gang" and "gangcai""
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{{Grammar Box}} | {{Grammar Box}} | ||
| + | 刚 (gāng) and 刚才 (gāngcái) are similar, but they have somewhat different uses. | ||
| − | + | == Both Come Before the Verb, But Have Different Emphasis == | |
| − | == | + | === 刚 emphasizes something "just" happened === |
| − | + | "刚" is actually an adverb, and it is placed in front of the verb. It emphasizes that the action ''just'' happened a short time ago. It is similar to the English "just." | |
| − | " | + | The key here is that "a short time ago is relative, and determined by the speaker. For this reason, 刚 can indicate that something "just" happened 1 second ago, 5 minutes ago, 2 hours ago, 3 weeks ago, or even a year ago. The absolute time is flexible, but from the speaker's perspective, it ''feels'' recent. |
==== Structure ==== | ==== Structure ==== | ||
| + | |||
<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
刚 + Verb | 刚 + Verb | ||
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<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
* 我 <em>刚</em> 说过，不 想 再 说 一 遍。<span class="trans">I just said it, and I don't want to say it again.</span> | * 我 <em>刚</em> 说过，不 想 再 说 一 遍。<span class="trans">I just said it, and I don't want to say it again.</span> | ||
| − | * 我 <em>刚</em> 看到 他。<span class="trans">I just saw him.</span> | + | * 我 昨天 <em>刚</em> 看到 他。<span class="trans">I just saw him yesterday.</span> |
* 他 <em>刚</em> 来。<span class="trans">He just came.</span> | * 他 <em>刚</em> 来。<span class="trans">He just came.</span> | ||
| + | * 我们 去年 刚 去 过 美国 。 <span class="trans">We've just been to the States last year.</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
=== 刚才 emphasizes "just now" === | === 刚才 emphasizes "just now" === | ||
| − | 刚才 is a time noun, and it expresses that the time that has passed is really short. If it is placed before the verb, it emphasizes what happened in the time that has just passed. It is similar to the English "'''just now'''." | + | 刚才 is a [[time noun]] (like 今天 and 现在), and it expresses that the time that has passed is really short, in near-absolute terms. We're talking no more than 1-30 minutes, in most situations. If it is placed before the verb, it emphasizes what happened in the time that has just passed. It is similar to the English "'''just now'''." |
==== Structure ==== | ==== Structure ==== | ||
| + | |||
<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
刚才 + Verb | 刚才 + Verb | ||
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[[Category:grammar comparison]] | [[Category:grammar comparison]] | ||
| − | {{Basic Grammar|刚| | + | {{Basic Grammar|刚|B1|刚 vs 刚才|你 <em>刚才</em> 去 哪儿 了？我 <em>刚</em> 上 完 厕所。|grammar point|ASGJFFWG}} |
{{Rel char|刚才}} | {{Rel char|刚才}} | ||
{{Similar|"Just now" with "gangcai"}} | {{Similar|"Just now" with "gangcai"}} | ||
Revision as of 01:48, 13 August 2013
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
刚 (gāng) and 刚才 (gāngcái) are similar, but they have somewhat different uses.
Contents
Both Come Before the Verb, But Have Different Emphasis
刚 emphasizes something "just" happened
"刚" is actually an adverb, and it is placed in front of the verb. It emphasizes that the action just happened a short time ago. It is similar to the English "just."
The key here is that "a short time ago is relative, and determined by the speaker. For this reason, 刚 can indicate that something "just" happened 1 second ago, 5 minutes ago, 2 hours ago, 3 weeks ago, or even a year ago. The absolute time is flexible, but from the speaker's perspective, it feels recent.
Structure
刚 + Verb
Examples
- 我 刚 说过，不 想 再 说 一 遍。I just said it, and I don't want to say it again.
- 我 昨天 刚 看到 他。I just saw him yesterday.
- 他 刚 来。He just came.
- 我们 去年 刚 去 过 美国 。 We've just been to the States last year.
刚才 emphasizes "just now"
刚才 is a time noun (like 今天 and 现在), and it expresses that the time that has passed is really short, in near-absolute terms. We're talking no more than 1-30 minutes, in most situations. If it is placed before the verb, it emphasizes what happened in the time that has just passed. It is similar to the English "just now."
Structure
刚才 + Verb
Examples
- 我 刚才 看 过 了，不 想 再 看 一 遍。I saw it just now, and I don't want to see it again.
- 我 刚才 看到 他 了。I just now saw him.
- 他 刚才 来 了。He came just now.
- 我 觉得 现在 比 刚才 亮。(Here it's very clearly acting as a time noun.)I think it's brighter now that just before.
刚才 can be used as an attribute while 刚 cannot
刚才 can also directly modify a noun to indicate it is that one from "just now" or "just before."
Structure
刚才 + 的 + Noun
Examples
- 刚才 的 事情 太 让 人 生气 了。What just happened really made people angry.
- 刚 的 事情 太 让 人 生气 了。Just thing really makes people angry.
刚 can be used as "Just" while 刚才 cannot
刚 is an adverb, and it can also spruce up an adjective. It has the same meaning as 刚刚. (刚才 cannot do this.)
Structure
刚 + Adjective
Examples
- 天 刚 晴。The sky just became clear.
- 一 个 面包 刚 够 吃，多 一 个 更 好。One pice of bread is just enough, one more is even better.
Examples of right and wrong sentences
- 我 刚才 回家。
- 我 刚 回家。I just got home.
- 我 刚才 没 想好 吃 什么，现在 我 想好 了。Just a while ago, I didn't think up what to eat, now I just thought it up.
- 我 刚 没 想好 吃 什么，现在 我 想好 了。
- 他 刚才 没 听懂我的话。
- 他 刚 没 听懂我的话。
- 我 也 是 刚 听说 这 个 消息。
- 我 刚才 听说 了 这 个 消息。
- 昨天 他 刚才 来 过。
- 昨天 他 刚 来 过。
Example dialog
- A: 你 刚才 去 哪儿 了？Where did you go just now?
- B: 我 刚 上 完 厕所。I just got done in the bathroom.
- A: 那 你 不 知道 刚才 的 事情 吧？Then you don't know what just now happened?
- B: 是 不 是 有人 吵架 了？Did some people start arguing?
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (刚 p.216) →buy
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (刚才 p.217) →buy
- 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例 (p.28) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 40- 2) →buy
- 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (p. 239) →buy
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p.446) →buy
