Expressing "less than" with "budao"

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Basic Pattern

Structure

Subj. + 不到 + Number + Measure Word (+ Noun)

Examples

  • 我 女儿 还 不到 三 岁 。Wǒ nǚ’ér hái bùdào sān suì.My daughter is still less than three years old.
  • 我 昨天 睡 了 不到 五 个 小时 。Wǒ zuótiān shuì le bùdào wǔ gè xiǎoshí. Yesterday I slept for less than five hours.
  • 这 件 衣服 花 了 不到 一 百 块 。Zhè jiàn yīfu huā le bùdào yī bǎi kuài.This piece of clothing costs less than 100 RMB.
  • 我 家 到 公司 不到 五 百 米 。Wǒ jiā dào gōngsī bùdào wǔ bǎi mǐ.It is less than 500 meters from my house to the company.
  • 在 美国 ,不到 21 岁 不 能 喝酒 。Zài Měiguó, bùdào èrshí-yī suì, bù néng hē jiǔ.In America, people under 21 cannot drink alcohol.

Pattern with 就

Structure

"不到"放在一个时间点或者时间段前,后面跟"就"连用,表示某事发生得比一般情况要早。

Subj. + 不到 + Time Word + 就 + Verb + 了

Examples

  • 他们 认识 不到 两 个 月 结婚 了 。Tāmen rènshi bùdào liǎng gè yuè jiù jiéhūn le.They've known each other for less than two months and are already married.
  • 李 医生 不到 55 岁 退休 了 。Lǐ yīshēng bùdào wǔshí-wǔ suìjiù tuìxiū le.Dr. Li is less than 55 years old and he already retired.
  • 爷爷 不到 60 岁 去世 了。Yéye bùdào liùshí suì jiù qùshì le.My grandpa was less than 60 years old when he died.
  • 你 在家 住 了 不到 一 个 星期 要 走 ?Nǐ zài jiā zhù le bùdào yī gè xīngqī jiù yào zǒu?You stayed at home for less than a week and you're leaving? So soon?
  • 老板 不到 30 岁 有 白 头发 了 。Lǎobǎn bùdào sānshí suì jiù yǒu bái tóufa le.My boss is less than 30 years old and already has white hair showing on his head.

See Also