Expressing "about to happen" with "le"

“快...了” (kuài... le) expresses that in a short time or relatively short time something is going to happen. Sometimes you can remove the middle part, and just say "快了" by itself (meaning "soon"). Using this structure is like saying "going to... real soon."

Basic Usage with Verbs

When using "快...了" with verbs, it takes on a meaning similar to the English "just about to".

Structure

快 + Verb/Verb Phrase + 了

Examples

• 你 快 下班 了 吗？ Are you going to get off work soon?
• 这 些 工作 快 做 完 了 。 I am almost finished with work.
• 你 快 到 家 了 吗？ Are you going to come home soon/ are you almost home?
• 我 觉得 快 下雨 了 ，我们 走 吧。 I think it's going to rain soon. Let's go.
• 快 过年 了 ，你 什么 时候 回家？ It's almost Chinese New Year, when are you going back to your hometown?
• 小李 快 哭 了 ，你 别 开 玩笑 了。 XiaoLi is almost crying, stop joking around.
• 我们 快 到了。We are about to arrive.
• 这 个 老人 快 死了。This old person is going to die soon.
• 你们 快 结婚了？Are you soon getting married?
• 快 下车了，你 再 等 一会儿。You are soon getting out of the car, wait a moment.

Notice that for some translations, it's more natural to use the English word "almost" instead of "soon."

Usage with 快 + 要

Another way you will see this same pattern used is in conjunction with the modal verb 要 (yào). 要 can have multiple meanings, one of which is "will" (referring to the future). You can insert it into the basic pattern, right before the verb.

Structure

快 + 要 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 你 快 要 下班 了 吗？ Will you be getting off work soon?
• 这 些 工作 快 要 做 完 了 ，我 晚点 下班。 I will almost finish this work, I'll get off work a little late.
• 你 快 要 到 家 了 吗？ Will you be coming home soon?
• 我 觉得 快 要 下雨 了 ，我们 走 吧。 I think it will start raining soon. Let's go.
• 快 要 过年 了 ，你 什么 时候 回家？ It'll be Chinese New Year soon, when are you going back to your hometown?
• 小李 快 要 哭 了 ，你 别 开 玩笑 了。 XiaoLi will soon be crying, stop joking around.
• 我们 快 要 到了。We will arrive soon.
• 这 个 老人 快 要 死了。This old person will die soon.
• 你们 快 要 结婚了？Will you soon be getting married?
• 快 要 下车了，你 再 等 一会儿。You will soon get out of the car, wait a moment.

These examples are the same as some of the ones above, with a "要" added. The addition of the "要" does not change the meanings.

Usage with Adjectives

In this structure, 快 is closer to the meaning of "almost" in English.

Structure

快 + Adjective + 了

Examples

• 我 快 好 了 。 I'm almost ready.
• 肉 快 熟 了 。 The meat is almost done [cooking].
• 他 的 脏 袜子 快 臭 了。 His dirty socks are about to smell bad.
• 天 快 黑 了 。 It’s almost getting dark.
• 你 的 咖啡 快 凉 了。 Your coffee is almost cool.
• 水果 快 坏 了。The fruit is almost ruined.
• 不 能 再 喝 了，我 快 醉 了。I don't want to drink more, I am almost drunk.
• 我 快 迟到 了。I was almost late.
• 衣服 快 干 了。The clothes are almost clean.
• 杯子 快 满 了。The cup is almost filled up.

要... 了

Structure

You can also drop the 快.

Subject + 要 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 明天 要 上班 了。
• 要 见到 妈妈 了，高兴 吗？
• 我 觉得 要 下雨 了。
• 我 要 生气 了！
• 我 要 迟到 了！
• 他们 的 孩子 要 出生 了。
• 9 点 了， 超市 要 关门 了。
• 圣诞节 要 到 了，你 有 什么 打算？
• 我 要 结婚 了，你 不要 来 找 我 了。
• 我 觉得 我 要 感冒 了。

See also

• "Nearly" with "jihu"
• Approximations with "chabuduo"
• Expressing future with "jiang"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 1 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (p.183)→buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 267-8) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 196-7) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 271)→buy