Difference between revisions of "Expressing earliness with "jiu""

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== Special Usage of 早就==
 
== Special Usage of 早就==
  
早就 means "long ago". It comes before the verb.
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早就 means "long ago." It comes before the verb.
  
 
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Revision as of 10:07, 21 June 2017

Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier than expected.

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb + Obj.

In English this might be expressed with "as early as," but usually it's not specifically marked.

Examples

  • 我 昨晚 八 点 半 睡觉 了!Wǒ zuówǎn bā diǎn bàn jiù shuìjiào le.I went to bed at half past eight last night.
  • 我们 早上 九点 上课,可是 他 八点 来 了。Wǒmen zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā bā diǎn jiù lái le.We have class at nine in the morning, but he came at eight.
  • 爷爷 每天 五点 起床 了。 Yéye měitiān wǔdiǎn jiù qǐchuáng le.Grandpa gets up at five o'clock every day.
  • 她 十八 岁 大学 毕业 了。Tā shíbā suì jiù dàxué bìyè le.She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.
  • 我 奶奶 五十 多 岁 去世 了。Wǒ nǎinai wǔshí duō suì jiù qùshì le. Grandma passed away in her fifties.

From the example sentences it is clear that naturally occurs with a verb used after 就. This is because verbs following 就 generally have the feeling of being completed.

Special Usage of 早就

早就 means "long ago." It comes before the verb.

  • 早就 知道 了!zǎo jiù zhīdào le!I knew it long time ago!
  • 早就 结婚 了。zǎo jiù jiéhūn le.She got married long time ago.
  • 我们 早就 毕业 了。Wǒmen zǎo jiù bìyè le.We graduated long time ago!
  • 早就 跟 你 说 过,他 不 是 好人。zǎo jiù gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.I told you long time ago that he's not a good guy.
  • 这 家 店 早就 关门 了。Zhè jiā diàn zǎo jiù guānmén le.This shop was closed down long time ago.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites