Difference between revisions of "Expressing earliness with "jiu""
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== Usage of 早就 == | == Usage of 早就 == | ||
| − | 早就 means "long ago. | + | 早就 means "long ago," and is usually used to express a kind of impatience or surprise on the part of the speaker. It comes before the verb. |
<div class="liju"> | <div class="liju"> | ||
| − | *我 <em>早就</em> 知道 了！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> zhīdào le!</span><span class="trans">I knew | + | *我 <em>早就</em> 知道 了！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> zhīdào le!</span><span class="trans">I knew that long ago!</span> |
*她 <em>早就</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>zǎo jiù</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">She got married long time ago.</span> | *她 <em>早就</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>zǎo jiù</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">She got married long time ago.</span> | ||
| − | *我们 <em>早就</em> 毕业 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zǎo jiù</em> bìyè le.</span><span class="trans">We graduated long time ago!</span> | + | *我们 <em>早就</em> 毕业 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zǎo jiù</em> bìyè le.</span><span class="trans">We graduated a long time ago!</span> |
| − | *我 <em>早就</em> 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.</span><span class="trans">I told you long time ago that he's not a good guy.</span> | + | *我 <em>早就</em> 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.</span><span class="trans">I told you a long time ago that he's not a good guy.</span> |
| − | *这 家 店 <em>早就</em> 关门 了。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jiā diàn <em>zǎo jiù</em> guānmén le.</span><span class="trans">This shop | + | *这 家 店 <em>早就</em> 关门 了。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jiā diàn <em>zǎo jiù</em> guānmén le.</span><span class="trans">This shop closed a long time ago.</span> |
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 09:29, 28 July 2017
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier or sooner than expected. It can also be used in the near future to indicate something will happen very soon.
Contents
Structure
The pattern is as follows:
Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb
Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb + Obj. + 了
In English this might be expressed with "as early as," but usually it's not specifically marked.
Examples
- 我 马上 就 来 。I'll be there in a second.
- 他们 一会儿 就 到 。They will be here in a few minutes.
- 老板 明天 就 回来 。The boss will be back by tomorrow.
- 我 昨晚 八 点 半 就 睡觉 了 。I went to bed at half past eight last night.
- 我们 早上 九点 上课，可是 他 八点 就 来 了。We have class at nine in the morning, but he came at eight.
- 爷爷 每天 五点 就 起床 了。Grandpa gets up at five o'clock every day.
- 她 十八 岁 就 大学 毕业 了。She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.
From the example sentences it is clear that 了 naturally occurs with a verb used after 就. This is because verbs following 就 generally have the feeling of being completed.
Usage of 早就
早就 means "long ago," and is usually used to express a kind of impatience or surprise on the part of the speaker. It comes before the verb.
- 我 早就 知道 了！I knew that long ago!
- 她 早就 结婚 了。She got married long time ago.
- 我们 早就 毕业 了。We graduated a long time ago!
- 我 早就 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。I told you a long time ago that he's not a good guy.
- 这 家 店 早就 关门 了。This shop closed a long time ago.
See also
- Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
- Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
- Expressing indifference with "jiu"
- Limiting scope with "jiu"
- "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 181-2) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 102-3) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 239)→buy
Websites
- East Asia Student: 就 and 才 in Mandarin: as early as, not until
