Expressing "just now" with "gangcai"

In order to say that something "just now" occurred, use the time noun 刚才 (gāngcái). It can be placed in front of the verb or the subject of a statement.

Structure

This grammar structure is pretty straightforward. Similar to the English "just now," you put it right before the verb. It can also come before the subject or after the subject.

刚才 + Verb

Examples

• 你 刚才 说 什么 了 ？ Nǐ gāngcái shuō shénme le? What did you just say?
• 你们 刚才 做 什么 了 ？ Nǐmen gāngcái zuò shénme le? What are you doing right now?
• 他 刚才 喝 了 一 瓶 可乐 。 Tā gāngcái hē le yī píng kělè. He just drank a bottle of Coke.
• 不好意思 ， 我 刚才 出去 了 。 Bùhǎoyìsi, wǒ gāngcái chūqù le. I'm sorry, I just now stepped out.
• 宝宝 刚才 笑 了 。 Bǎobǎo gāngcái xiào le. The baby just now laughed.
• 刚才 你 去 哪儿 了 ？ Gāngcái nǐ qù nǎr le? Just now where did you go?
• 刚才 我 吃 了 一个 冰淇淋 。 Gāngcái wǒ chī le yīgè bīngqílín. Just now I ate an ice cream.
• 刚才 我 去 洗手间 了 。 Gāngcái wǒ qù xǐshǒujiān le. Just now I went to the washroom.
• 刚才 我 开会 了 。 Gāngcái wǒ kāihuì le. I have a meeting just now.
• 刚才 一 个 女孩儿 来 这里 找 你 了 。 Gāngcái yī gè nǚháir lái zhèlǐ zhǎo nǐ le. Just now a girl came here looking for you.

See also

• Comparing "gang" and "gangcai"
• Explaining results with "suoyi"
• Cause and effect with "yinwei" and "suoyi"
• Stating the effect before the cause (advanced article)

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (p. 217)→buy