Again in the past with "you"

Whenever you want to express something like "you did it again!" in Chinese, you may want to use 又.

Expressing Basic "Again" in the Past with 又

Structure

There are two words for "again" in Chinese. This depends on whether the repetition has happened, or whether it's going to happen.

If the repetition has happened, i.e. it's a repetition in the past, 又 is used.

Subject + 又 + Verb + 了

Notice that 了 is used as the action is complete.

Examples

• 我们 又 学 了 一 遍。Wǒmen yòu xué le yībiàn.We studied it one more time.
• 又 做 错 了 ！Yòu zuò cuò le!You did it wrong again!
• 宝宝 又 哭 了。Bǎobǎo yòu kū le.The baby is crying again.
• 你 又 迟到 了。Nǐ yòu chídào le.You came late again.
• 他 又 喝 醉 了， 他 的 胃 怎么 受 得 了？Tā yòu hē zuì le, tā de wèi zěnme shòudeliǎo?He's gotten drunk again. How does his stomach handle it?
• 苹果 十 五 块 钱 一 斤？你 又 被 骗 了！Píngguǒ shíwǔ kuài qián yī jīn? Nǐ yòu bèi piàn le!Fifteen kuai per jin for apples? You've been cheated again.
• 又 过年 了 ， 我们 又 长 了 一 岁 。Yòu guònián le, wǒmen yòu zhǎng le yī suì.It's Chinese New Year again, we have grown a year older again.
• 明天 又 是 星期 一 ！Míngtiān yòu shì xīngqī yī!Tomorrow will be Monday AGAIN!
• 老板 又 要 找 我 开会 了 。Lǎobǎn yòu yào zhǎo wǒ kāihuì le.The boss is looking for me to hold a meeting AGAIN.
• 这个 周末 又 可以 不 加班 了 。Zhè ge zhōumò yòu kěyǐ bù jiābān le.This weekend I don't have to work overtime again.
• 又 该 我 请客 了 ？Yòu gāi wǒ qǐngkè le?Is it my turn to treat again?
• 如果 你 告诉 妈妈 ， 妈妈 又 会 生气 了 。Rúguǒ nǐ gàosu māmā, māmā yòu huì shēngqì le.If you tell mom, she is going to get angry again.

Expressing Extra Repetition in the Past with 又

Structure

Similarly, we can express the same thing using another structure. Here we repeat the verb used and place 又 in the middle. The repetition of the verb emphasizes how the action is being repeated again and again.

Subject + Verb + 了 + 又 + Verb

Examples

• 宝宝 出生 了 ， 妈妈 看 了 又 看 ， 高兴 得 不得了 。Bǎobǎo chūshēng le, māmā kàn le yòu kàn, gāoxìng dé bùdéliǎo.The baby was born, and the mother just kept looking and looking at it. She was very happy.
• 这 个 词 我 记 了 又 记，还是 记 不住 。Zhè ge cí wǒ jì le yòu jì, háishì jì bu zhù.I've tried to memorize this word over and over, but I still can't remember it.
• 这 个 方案 改 了 又 改 ， 终于 通过 了 。Zhè ge fāng'àn gǎi le yòu gǎi, zhōngyú tōngguò le.This plan was changed again and again, and finally it passed.
• 我 想 了 又 想 ， 还是 不 能 这样 做 。Wǒ xiǎng le yòu xiǎng, háishì bùnéng zhèyàng zuò.I thought it over again and again, and I still can't do this.
• 他 找 了 又 找，还 是 没 找 到 他 的 钱 包。Tā zhǎo le yòu zhǎo, háishì méi zhǎo dào tā de qiánbāo He searched again and again, and still couldn't find his wallet.

See also

• Again in the future with "zai"
• Comparing "zai" and "you"
• Doing Something Over and Over with "zaisan"
• Emphasizing negation with "you"
• "Both A and B" with "you"
• "Both… and…" with "ji...you"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 141-2) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 157) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 288) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 202) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (p. 633) →buy
• 现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 588)→buy
• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 1656) →buy

Websites

• Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Using 再 and 又

HSK4