Expressing "almost" using "chadian"

To say that something bad almost happened (but didn't), you can add the word 差点 (chàdiǎn) before the verb. You will also hear 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) in northern China. There is no difference in meaning between 差点 and 差点儿.

Literal Meaning

It might help to understand the literal meaning of the structure. The word 差 (chà) has a lot of meanings. In this case, it means "to lack," or "to be short." So in Chinese, the way to say "almost" is to say, "lacking that little bit." If that "little bit" hadn't been lacking, it would have happened. But it was lacking, so it didn't happen。Technically, it almost happened. Just remember: The fact is always opposite with the verb phrase after "差点(儿)", whether the verb phrase contains "没" or not.

Basic Structure

Subj. + 差点(儿) + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Note that the "Verb Phrase" part of the structure is usually something bad or something you don't wish for, and that it didn't happen. You can put "就" after "差点儿" .

Examples

• 我们 队 差点儿 输了。 the team didn't loseWǒmen duì chàdiǎn er shū le.Our team almost lost.
• 我们 队 差点儿 就输了。 the team didn't loseWǒmen duì chàdiǎn er jiù shū le.Our team almost lost.
• 雨 很 大，我 差点 回 不 来 了 。 I actually did make it back, thoughYǔ hěn dà, wǒ chàdiǎn huí bù lái le.The rain is so heavy I almost couldn't make it back.
• 雨 很 大，我 差点 就 回 不 来 了 。 I actually did make it back, thoughYǔ hěn dà, wǒ chàdiǎn jiù huí bù lái le.The rain is so heavy I almost couldn't make it back.
• 路上 堵车，我 差点儿 迟到 了 。 I wasn't lateLùshàng dǔchē, wǒ chàdiǎn er chídào le.The traffic is bad; I was almost late.
• 路上 堵车，我 差点儿 就 迟到 了 。 I wasn't lateLùshàng dǔchē, wǒ chàdiǎn er jiù chídào le.The traffic is bad; I was almost late.
• 我 差点儿 (就) 犯 了 一 个 大 错 。 I didn't make a big mistakeWǒ chàdiǎn er (jiù) fàn le yīgè dà cuò.I nearly made a big mistake.
• 他 差点儿 (就) 看到 我们 了，好 险 ！ he didn't see usTā chàdiǎn er (jiù) kàn dào wǒmen le, hǎo xiǎn!He almost saw us. That was a close one!
• 看到 妈妈 走 了，她 差点儿 (就) 哭 了 。 she didn't cryKàn dào māma zǒu le, tā chàdiǎn er (jiù) kū le.When she saw mom leave, she almost cried.
• 我们 队 差点儿 (就) 赢了。 the team didn't win; this type of usage is less commonWǒmen duì chàdiǎn er (jiù) yíng le.Our team almost won.
• 都 怪 你，我差点儿 (就) 做 好 了。I'm not done yet.Dōu guài nǐ, wǒ chàdiǎn er (jiù) zuò hǎo le.It's your fault. I was almost done.
• 汽车 差点儿 就到机场 了，可是突然坏了 。 the bus didn't arriveQìchē chàdiǎn er jiù dào jīchǎng le, kěshì túrán huài le.The bus almost arrived at the airport, but suddenly it broke down.

Using 差点 with 没

This can get confusing, even though it's really the same pattern (and same logic) with a little added complexity. This pattern goes beyond the difficulty level of the needs of the B1 learner, so to learn more about this usage, see expressing "almost" using "chadian mei".

See also

• "Nearly" with "jihu"
• Expressing "almost" using "chadianmei"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 112) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 341)→buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 145) →buy