Difference between revisions of "Expressing "again" in the future with "zai""

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* 她 想 <em>再</em> 做 一 个 新 的 作品。<span class="pinyin">Tā xiǎng <em>zài</em> zuò yīgè xīn de zuòpǐn.</span><span class="trans">She wants to do a new kind of work.</span>
 
* 她 想 <em>再</em> 做 一 个 新 的 作品。<span class="pinyin">Tā xiǎng <em>zài</em> zuò yīgè xīn de zuòpǐn.</span><span class="trans">She wants to do a new kind of work.</span>
 
* 我们 <em>再</em>等 他 五 分钟 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zài</em> děng tā wǔ fēnzhōng ba.</span><span class="trans">Let's wait for him five more minutes.</span>
 
* 我们 <em>再</em>等 他 五 分钟 吧 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zài</em> děng tā wǔ fēnzhōng ba.</span><span class="trans">Let's wait for him five more minutes.</span>
 
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Examples:
 
 
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* 你 <em>再</em> 给 我 一点 钱。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zài</em> gěi wǒ yīdiǎn qián.</span><span class="trans">Give me a little more money.</span>
 
* 你 <em>再</em> 给 我 一点 钱。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zài</em> gěi wǒ yīdiǎn qián.</span><span class="trans">Give me a little more money.</span>
 
* 我们 <em>再</em> 给 她 点 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zài</em> gěi tā diǎn shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">We'll give her a little more time.</span>
 
* 我们 <em>再</em> 给 她 点 时间 。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zài</em> gěi tā diǎn shíjiān.</span><span class="trans">We'll give her a little more time.</span>

Revision as of 07:14, 25 November 2014

While 又 (yòu) is used for "again" in the past, 再 (zài) 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:

  • 说 一次 吧。Zài shuō yīcì ba.Say it again one more time.
  • 你 不 要 迟到了。Nǐ bùyào zài chídàole.Don't be late again.
  • 我 下 次 来。Wǒ xià cì zài lái.I'll come again next time.
  • 我 不 会 烦 你 。Wǒ bù huì zài fán nǐ.I will not bother you again.
  • 你 过 5 分钟 试 试 。Nǐ guò wǔ fēnzhōng zài shì shi.Try again in 5 minutes.

In fact, this structure is present in one of the most common Chinese phrases: "再见!" In this case, it literally means "See you again!"

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 吃饭 谈。Wǒmen xiān chīfàn zài tán.We'll eat first, and then we'll talk.
  • 找 工作 考虑 买 房子。xiān zhǎo gōngzuò zài kǎolǜ mǎi fángzi.First find a job, then you can think about buying a house.
  • 我们 吃 了 饭 去。Wǒmen xiān chīle fàn zài qù.We ate first, then we went.

再 as "another" or "some more"

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

Examples:

  • 给 我 一 张 纸。zài gěi wǒ yī zhāng zhǐ.Give me another piece of paper.
  • 我们 找 一 个 人 吧。Wǒmen zài zhǎo yīgè rén ba.Let's find another person.
  • 她 想 做 一 个 新 的 作品。Tā xiǎng zài zuò yīgè xīn de zuòpǐn.She wants to do a new kind of work.
  • 我们 等 他 五 分钟 吧 。Wǒmen zài děng tā wǔ fēnzhōng ba.Let's wait for him five more minutes.
  • 给 我 一点 钱。zài gěi wǒ yīdiǎn qián.Give me a little more money.
  • 我们 给 她 点 时间 。Wǒmen zài gěi tā diǎn shíjiān.We'll give her a little more time.
  • 她 想 吃 点 冰淇淋 。Tā xiǎng zài chī diǎn bīngqílín.She wants to eat a little more ice cream.

再 as "continuous action"

Here 再 is similar to the English "for a while longer" or "keep [going/doing]".

Examples:

  • 时间 还 早,你们 玩 一会儿 吧。Shíjiān hái zǎo, nǐmen zài wán yīhuǐ'er ba.It's still early, you can keep playing for a while.
  • 找 找,找 不 到 我们 就 回去。Zài zhǎo zhǎo, zhǎo bù dào wǒmen jiù huíqù.Look a little more. If we can't find it, we'll go home.
  • 我 想 睡 会儿,太 困 了。Wǒ xiǎng zài shuì huì er, tài kùnle.I want to sleep a little longer. I'm so tired.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites