Difference between revisions of "Expressing "about to" with "jiuyao""

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*我 <em>快</em> 饿 死 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>kuài </em> è sǐ le.</span><span class="trans">I'm about to starve to death.</span>
 
*我 <em>快</em> 饿 死 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>kuài </em> è sǐ le.</span><span class="trans">I'm about to starve to death.</span>
 
*他 <em>快要</em> 去 美国 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>kuài yào</em> qù Měiguó le.</span><span class="trans">He's about to go to the USA.</span>
 
*他 <em>快要</em> 去 美国 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>kuài yào</em> qù Měiguó le.</span><span class="trans">He's about to go to the USA.</span>
*<em>快要</em> 下 雨 了!<span class="pinyin"><em>Kuài yào</em> xià yǔ le!</span><span class="trans">It's about to rain!</span>
+
*<em></em> 下 雨 了!<span class="pinyin"><em>Kuài</em> xià yǔ le!</span><span class="trans">It's about to rain!</span>
 
*他们 <em>就要</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>jiù yào</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">They are about to get married.</span>
 
*他们 <em>就要</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin">Tāmen <em>jiù yào</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">They are about to get married.</span>
 
*<em>就要</em> 下课 了,还有 别的 问题 吗?<span class="pinyin"><em>Jiù yào</em> xiàkè le, háiyǒu bié de wèntí ma?</span><span class="trans">The class is almost over. Are there any other questions?</span>
 
*<em>就要</em> 下课 了,还有 别的 问题 吗?<span class="pinyin"><em>Jiù yào</em> xiàkè le, háiyǒu bié de wèntí ma?</span><span class="trans">The class is almost over. Are there any other questions?</span>

Revision as of 04:14, 28 July 2017

就要 (jiùyào) is similar to 快要 (kuàiyào), meaning "about to." They are interchangeable in some cases. But there is a major difference that you need to take a good look at.

Situations where both can be used

Colloquially, you can just say 快 instead of 快要. But 就要 can't be used that way.

Structure

快(要)+ Verb Phrase + 了


就要 + Verb Phrase + 了

Examples

  • 饿 死 了。kuài è sǐ le.I'm about to starve to death.
  • 快要 去 美国 了。kuài yào qù Měiguó le.He's about to go to the USA.
  • 下 雨 了!Kuài xià yǔ le!It's about to rain!
  • 他们 就要 结婚 了。Tāmen jiù yào jiéhūn le.They are about to get married.
  • 就要 下课 了,还有 别的 问题 吗?Jiù yào xiàkè le, háiyǒu bié de wèntí ma?The class is almost over. Are there any other questions?

Situations where only "就要" can be used

快要 (kuài yào) is generally "about to" [happen], but 就要 (jiù yào) could be used to mark a more specific time. 要 (yào) here can be omitted. For this one, you wouldn't normally use "about to" for this English translation, but the feeling is nevertheless that the impending event is coming up fast.

Structure

还有 + Time Period + 就(要) + Verb Phrase + 了

Examples

  • 还有 十 天 宝宝 一 岁 了。Háiyǒu shí tiān bǎobǎo jiù yī suì le.In ten more days, the baby will be one year old.
  • 还有 十 分钟 下班 了。Háiyǒu shí fēnzhōng jiù xiàbān le.In 10 more minutes I get off work.
  • 还有 五 天 就要 放假 了。Háiyǒu wǔ tiān jiù yào fàngjià le.In 10 more days, I go on vacation.
  • 还有 一 个 月 就要 过年 了。Háiyǒu yī gè yuè jiù yào guònián le.In another month it will be Chinese New Year.
  • 还有 两 个 星期 就要 考试 了。Háiyǒu liǎng gè xīngqí jiù yào kǎoshì le.We're just two weeks away from the test date.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites