Chinese Grammar: Expressing “about to happen” with 了

Remember that 了 (le) is not only for the past! When something is about to happen, you can also indicate this using 了 (le). Normally it is paired with a 快 (kuài), 快要(kuài yào) or a 要 (yào). This is a special form of using 了 to indicate a change of situation.

 

(kuài… le) with Verbs

When using 快 ⋯⋯了 (kuài… le) with verbs, it takes on a meaning similar to the English “just about to.” Normally you can add 要 (yào) before the verb.

Structure:

快 + Verb + 了

快要 + Verb + 了

Examples:

我们快到了。(wǒmen kuài dào le) = We’re almost there.

快下雨了。(kuài xiàyǔ le) = It’s going to rain soon.

快要过年了,你什么时候回家?(kuài yào guònián le, nǐ shénme shíhou huíjiā) = It’s almost Chinese New Year. When are you going back to your hometown?

我女朋友快要过生日了。(wǒ nǚpéngyou kuài yào guò shēngrì le) = My girlfriend is about to have her birthday.

快下车了,你再等一会儿。(kuài xiàchē le, nǐ zài děng yīhuìr) = We’re about to get off. Just wait a little while.

 

(kuài… le) with Adjectives

In this structure, 快⋯⋯了 (kuài… le) is closer to the meaning of “almost” in English.

Structure: 快 + Adj. + 了

Examples:

天快黑了。(tiān kuài hēi le) = It’s almost getting dark.

我快好了。(wǒ kuài hǎo le) = I’m almost ready.

这些脏衣服快臭了。(zhèxiē zāng yīfu kuài chòu le) = These dirty clothes are about to smell bad.

 

(yào… le) with Verbs

You can also just use 要 (yào) before the verb, without 快 (kuài).

Structure: Subj. + 要 + Verb / Adj. + 了

Note that occasionally you’ll see adjectives (instead of verbs) in this pattern as well.

Examples:

我要生气了!(wǒ yào shēngqì le) = I’m going to get angry!

他们的孩子要出生了。(tāmen de háizi yào chūshēng le) = Their child is about to be born.

9点了,超市要关门了。(jiǔ diǎn le, chāoshì yào guānmén le) = It’s 9 o’clock. The supermarket is about to close.

我最好的朋友要结婚了!(wǒ zuìhǎo de péngyou yào jiéhūn le) = My best friend is about to get married!

圣诞节要到了,你有什么打算 ?(shèngdànjié yào dào le, nǐ yǒu shénme dǎsuàn) = It’s almost Christmas. What plans do you have?

 


Post time: May-21-2020