Difference between revisions of "Expressing lateness with "cai""
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{{Grammar Box}} | {{Grammar Box}} | ||
| − | + | To express that something happened later than expected, you can use 才 (cái). In English, this might be expressed with "as late as" or "not until." This form is often used with a time of some sort, like a specific time of day, age, etc. This pattern is essentially the opposite of [[Expressing earliness with "jiu"|using 就 (jiù) to express earliness]]. | |
== Structure == | == Structure == | ||
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<div class="jiegou"> | <div class="jiegou"> | ||
| − | + | Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb | |
| − | Subj. + Time | ||
| − | |||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
== Examples == | == Examples == | ||
| Line 19: | Line 13: | ||
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | + | *我 昨天 晚上 十一 点 <em>才</em> 到 家 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang shíyī diǎn <em>cái</em> dào jiā.</span><span class="trans">I didn't arrive at home until eleven o'clock last night.</span> | |
| − | *我 昨天 <em>才</em> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
*他 二十 五 岁 <em>才</em> 上 大学 。<span class="pinyin">Tā èrshí-wǔ suì <em>cái</em> shàng dàxué.</span><span class="trans">He didn't go to college until he was 25.</span> | *他 二十 五 岁 <em>才</em> 上 大学 。<span class="pinyin">Tā èrshí-wǔ suì <em>cái</em> shàng dàxué.</span><span class="trans">He didn't go to college until he was 25.</span> | ||
| − | * | + | *她 四十 岁 <em>才</em> 结婚 。<span class="pinyin">Tā sìshí suì <em>cái</em> jiéhūn.</span><span class="trans">She didn't get married until she was forty.</span> |
| − | * | + | *我 女儿 昨天 十二 点 <em>才</em> 睡觉 ，作业 太 多 了 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǚ'ér zuótiān shí'èr diǎn <em>cái</em> shuìjiào, zuòyè tài duō le.</span><span class="trans">My daughter didn't go to bed until 12 o'clock yesterday. Too much homework.</span> |
| + | *你 九 点 上班 ，八 点 半 <em>才</em> 起床 ？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ jiǔ diǎn shàngbān, bā diǎn bàn <em>cái</em> qǐchuáng?</span><span class="trans">You start work at nine o'clock, but don't get up until 8:30?</span> | ||
| + | *飞机 刚刚 <em>才</em> 起飞 ，晚点 了 两 个 小时 。<span class="pinyin">Fēijī gānggāng <em>cái</em> qǐfēi, wǎndiǎn le liǎng gè xiǎoshí.</span><span class="trans">The airplane just took off. It was delayed for two hours.</span> | ||
| + | *电影 七 点 半 开始 ，可是 因为 堵车 ，我们 八 点 <em>才</em> 到 。<span class="pinyin">Diànyǐng qī diǎn bàn kāishǐ, kěshì yīnwèi dǔchē, wǒmen bā diǎn <em>cái</em> dào.</span><span class="trans">The movie began at 7:30, but we didn't arrive until eight because of traffic.</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | + | You can use 才 alone with the verb to indicate the lateness when the context is clear: | |
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | *你 怎么 <em>才</em> 吃 晚饭 ？已经 十 点 了 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ zěnme <em>cái</em> chī wǎnfàn? Yǐjīng shí diǎn le.</span><span class="trans">How come you are eating dinner now? It's 10 pm.</span> | ||
| + | *你 怎么 <em>才</em> 来 ？我们 等 了 半 个 多 小时 。 <span class="pinyin">Nǐ zěnme <em>cái</em> lái? Wǒmen děng le bàn gè duō xiǎoshí.</span><span class="trans">How come you came here so late? We've waited for more than half an hour.</span> | ||
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| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Note that verbs following 才 should not take 了. | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
| − | <li class="x"> 昨天 晚上 | + | <li class="x">我 昨天 晚上 十一 点 <em>才</em> 到 家 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang shíyī diǎn <em>cái</em> dào jiā <strong>le</strong>.</span></li> |
| + | <li class="x">她 四十 岁 <em>才</em> 结婚 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā sìshí suì <em>cái</em> jiéhūn <strong>le</strong>.</span></li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
| − | |||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | ==See also== | + | == See also == |
* [[Expressing earliness with "jiu"]] | * [[Expressing earliness with "jiu"]] | ||
| + | * [[Using "cai" for small numbers]] | ||
* [[Comparing "cai" and "jiu"]] | * [[Comparing "cai" and "jiu"]] | ||
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=== Books === | === Books === | ||
| − | + | {{Source|HSK Standard Course 3|101}} | |
| − | + | {{Source|Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar|117-8}} | |
| − | + | {{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)|139}} | |
| − | + | {{Source|40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册）|239}} | |
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[[Category:B1 grammar points]] | [[Category:B1 grammar points]] | ||
| + | {{HSK|HSK3}} | ||
[[Category: Adverbs]] | [[Category: Adverbs]] | ||
| − | {{Basic Grammar|才|B1|Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb | + | {{Basic Grammar|才|B1|Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb|他 二十五 岁 <em>才</em> 上 大学 。|grammar point|ASG3WTCJ}} |
{{Used for|Expressing time and date}} | {{Used for|Expressing time and date}} | ||
{{Used for|Expressing attitude}} | {{Used for|Expressing attitude}} | ||
{{Used for|Sequencing events in time}} | {{Used for|Sequencing events in time}} | ||
| − | |||
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{{Similar|Comparing "cai" and "jiu"}} | {{Similar|Comparing "cai" and "jiu"}} | ||
| + | {{Similar|Using "cai" for small numbers}} | ||
{{Similar|Expressing earliness with "jiu"}} | {{Similar|Expressing earliness with "jiu"}} | ||
| + | {{Similar|Expressing "all the way until" with "zhidao"}} | ||
| + | {{Similar|Expressing "when" with "dengdao"}} | ||
| + | {{POS|Adverbs}} | ||
Latest revision as of 08:16, 4 March 2019
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Keywords
To express that something happened later than expected, you can use 才 (cái). In English, this might be expressed with "as late as" or "not until." This form is often used with a time of some sort, like a specific time of day, age, etc. This pattern is essentially the opposite of using 就 (jiù) to express earliness.
Structure
Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb
Examples
- 我 昨天 晚上 十一 点 才 到 家 。I didn't arrive at home until eleven o'clock last night.
- 他 二十 五 岁 才 上 大学 。He didn't go to college until he was 25.
- 她 四十 岁 才 结婚 。She didn't get married until she was forty.
- 我 女儿 昨天 十二 点 才 睡觉 ，作业 太 多 了 。My daughter didn't go to bed until 12 o'clock yesterday. Too much homework.
- 你 九 点 上班 ，八 点 半 才 起床 ？You start work at nine o'clock, but don't get up until 8:30?
- 飞机 刚刚 才 起飞 ，晚点 了 两 个 小时 。The airplane just took off. It was delayed for two hours.
- 电影 七 点 半 开始 ，可是 因为 堵车 ，我们 八 点 才 到 。The movie began at 7:30, but we didn't arrive until eight because of traffic.
You can use 才 alone with the verb to indicate the lateness when the context is clear:
- 你 怎么 才 吃 晚饭 ？已经 十 点 了 。How come you are eating dinner now? It's 10 pm.
- 你 怎么 才 来 ？我们 等 了 半 个 多 小时 。 How come you came here so late? We've waited for more than half an hour.
Note that verbs following 才 should not take 了.
- 我 昨天 晚上 十一 点 才 到 家 了 。
- 她 四十 岁 才 结婚 了 。
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- HSK Standard Course 3 (pp. 101) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 117-8) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 139) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 239) [ →buy]
