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

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*她 <em>就要</em> 出国 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>jiù yào</em> chūguó <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">She's going abroad.</span>
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*她 <em>就要</em> 出国 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>jiù yào</em> chūguó <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">She is about to go abroad.</span>
 
*<em>就要</em> 下雨 <strong>了</strong>  !<span class="pinyin"><em>Jiù yào</em> xiàyǔ <strong>le</strong>!</span><span class="trans">It's about to rain!</span>
 
*<em>就要</em> 下雨 <strong>了</strong>  !<span class="pinyin"><em>Jiù yào</em> xiàyǔ <strong>le</strong>!</span><span class="trans">It's about to rain!</span>
 
*我们 的 大老板 <em>就要</em> 来 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen de dà lǎobǎn <em>jiùyào</em> lái <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Our big boss is coming soon.</span>
 
*我们 的 大老板 <em>就要</em> 来 <strong>了</strong> 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen de dà lǎobǎn <em>jiùyào</em> lái <strong>le</strong>.</span><span class="trans">Our big boss is coming soon.</span>

Revision as of 08:08, 14 March 2018

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.

Basic Pattern

Structure

(Subj. +) 就要 + Verb + 了

Examples

  • 就要 出国 jiù yào chūguó le.She is about to go abroad.
  • 就要 下雨 Jiù yào xiàyǔ le!It's about to rain!
  • 我们 的 大老板 就要Wǒmen de dà lǎobǎn jiùyào lái le.Our big boss is coming soon.
  • 他们 就要 结婚 Tāmen jiù yào jiéhūn le.They are about to get married.
  • 就要 下课 ,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?

In this case, 就要 can be replaced by 快要 or 快.

Advanced Pattern

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 (+ Subj.) + 就 (要) + Verb + 了

Examples

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

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites