Expressing "again" in the future with "zai"

While 又 is used for "again" in the past, 再 is used for "again" in the future. That is, 再 is used when something has happened once and it will happen again.

再 as "Again"

The basic structure for using the future "again" is:

Subject + 再 + Verb + Object

Some examples:

再说一次吧。
你不要再迟到。
我下次再来。

再 as "And then"

A usage that feels sort of related but deserves separate mention is the use of 再 to mean "and then." It is often preceded by 先 when giving clear sequential orders ("first do this... then do this..."), but it can also appear by itself to mean "and then."

The examples:

我们先吃饭再谈。
你先找工作再考虑买房子。
我们吃了饭再去。

再 as "Another"

The English word "another" is often avoided altogether by using 再.

Examples:

你再给我一张纸。
我们再找一个人吧。
她想再创造一个新的作品。

Expressing "again" in the future with "zai"

Contents

再 as "Again"

再 as "And then"

再 as "Another"

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