Expressing "nearly" with "jihu"

Level

B2 / HSK3
Level

B2
Level

HSK3
Similar to
Similar to
- Expressing "about to happen" with "le" (HSK2)
- Expressing "about to" with "jiuyao" (HSK2)
- Approximations with "chabuduo" (HSK4)
- Expressing "almost" using "chadian" (HSK4)
- The opposite of "chabuduo" is "cha hen duo" (HSK5)
Used for

Expressing degree, Expressing similarity
Keywords

几, 几乎, 乎

几乎 (jīhū) means 'nearly', 'almost' or 'practically', and is used to emphasize that someone or something 'almost' meets a certain standard or is close to doing something.

Used before the Subject

It is often used together with words that mean "all," such as 每, 所有, or 全. It can also be used with words that can be used to mean "none" such as 没有.

Structure

几乎 + Subj. + 都 + Verb / Adj.

Examples

几乎每个人都有手机。Almost everyone has a cell phone.
在我们公司，几乎每个人都会说英文。In our company, almost everyone can speak English.
在中国，几乎所有老外都会说 “你好” 。In China, almost all of the foreigners can say "hello" in Chinese.
几乎所有人都相信他。Almost everyone believes what he said.
几乎全世界的观众都喜欢这部电影。Almost all audiences across the world like this movie.

Used before the Predicate

Structure

Subj. + 几乎 + Predicate

Subj. + 几乎 + 不 / 没 + Predicate

Examples

爸爸的头发几乎白了。Dad's hair is almost all white.
这次旅行，他们几乎花了所有的钱。They spent almost all of their money on this trip.
他一个人几乎吃了一整个蛋糕。He almost ate this whole cake by himself.
我老板几乎不喝酒。 My boss doesn't really drink.
老板这几个月几乎没好好休息过。Boss has barely taken a break in the past few months.

Sources and further reading

Books

Expressing "nearly" with "jihu"

Contents

Used before the Subject

Structure

Examples

Used before the Predicate

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books