Expressing earliness with "jiu"

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Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier or sooner than expected. It can also be used in the near future to indicate something will happen very soon.

就 as "Right Away" (in the Future)

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb

Examples

  • 我 马上 来 。Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.I'll be there in a second.
  • 他们 一会儿 到 。Tāmen yīhuìr jiù dào.They will be here in a few minutes.
  • 老板 明天 回来 。Lǎobǎn míngtiān jiù huílái.The boss will be back tomorrow.

就 as "Early" (in the Past)

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb + Obj. + 了

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.

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.

Usage of 早就

早就 means "long ago," and is usually used to express a kind of impatience or surprise on the part of the speaker. It comes before the verb.

  • 早就 知道 了!zǎo jiù zhīdào le!I knew that long 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 a 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 a 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 closed a long time ago.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites