Expressing "about to" with "jiuyao"

快要(kuàiyào) and 就要(jiùyào) are similar in their English meaning, which indicates "going to happen soon". They are interchangeable in some cases. But there is a major difference that you need to take a good look at.

Situations where both can be used

Colloquially, you can just say "快" or "就" alone. 要(yào) can be omitted.

Structure

快（要） / 就（要） + Verb Phrase + 了

Examples

• 他 快要 死 了。Tā kuàiyào le. He's going to die soon.
• 我 快 疯 了。Hái yǒu wǔ tiān jiù yào fàngjià le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.
• 老师 就要 来 了。Hái yǒu wǔ tiān jiù yào fàngjià le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.

Situations where only "就要" can be used

快要(kuàiyào) is general "going to happen soon", but 就要(jiùyào) could be used to mark a more specific time. 要(yào) here can be omitted.

Structure

还要 + time period + 就（要） + Verb Phrase + 了

Examples

• 还有 十 天 宝宝 就 一 岁 了。Háiyǒu shí tiān bǎobǎo jiùyī suì le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.
• 还有 十 分钟 就 下班 了。Háiyǒu shí fēnzhōng jiù xiàbān le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.
• 还有 五 天 就要 放假 了。Háiyǒu wǔ tiān jiùyào fàngjià le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.
• 还有 一 个 月 就要 过 年 了。Háiyǒu yī gè yuè jiùyào guònián le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.
• 还有 两 个 星期 就要 考试 了。Háiyǒu liǎng gè xīngqí jiùyào kǎoshì le. Only three days away from the coming holiday.