Expressing "about to happen" with "le"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
Remember that 了 (le) is not only for the past! When something is about to happen, you can also indicate this with a 了 (le). Normally it is paired with a 快 (kuài) and/or a 要 (yào), however.
Contents
快……了 with Verbs
When using "快……了" (kuài... le) 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."
快 + 要……了 with Verbs
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/Verb Phrase + 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" (yào) added. The addition of the "要" (yào) does not change the meanings.
快……了 with Adjectives
In this structure, 快 (kuài) is closer to the meaning of "almost" in English.
Structure
快 + Adjective + 了
Note that for adjectives, you don't normally add a 要 (yào) like you do for verbs (see above).
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 with Verbs
Structure
You can also just use 要 (yào) before the verb, without 快 (kuài) .
Subject + 要 + Verb/Verb Phrase + 了
Note that for adjectives, you don't normally use 要 (yào) like this, as you do for verbs (see above).
Examples
- 要 见 妈妈 了，高兴 吗？ You're about to see your mom. Are you happy?
- 我 觉得 要 下雨 了。 I think it's about to rain.
- 我 要 生气 了！ I'm going to get angry!
- 我 要 迟到 了！ I'm going to be late!
- 他们 的 孩子 要 出生 了。 Their child is about to be born.
- 9 点 了， 超市 要 关门 了。 It's 9 o'clock. The supermarket is about to close.
- 圣诞节 要 到 了，你 有 什么 打算？ It's almost Christmas. What plans do you have?
- 我 要 结婚 了 ！哈哈！ I'm about to get married! Ha ha!
- 我 觉得 我 要 感冒 了。 I think I'm about to get a cold. / I think I'm coming down with a cold.
See also
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
Websites
- ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 了 (le): Something's About to Happen (free podcast content)
