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Level Everyday Chinese · HSK 2

已经, 就, 才, 要…了 and Other Time Adverbs

Chinese time adverbs carry a lot of attitude. 就 and 才 don't just say when something happened; they say whether that was earlier or later than you expected. Getting them right is one of the clearest signs of an intermediate speaker.

All of these adverbs sit after the subject and before the verb.

已经…了: already

已经 (yǐjīng) usually comes with 了 at the end: the situation is already in place.

  • 他已经走了。

    Tā yǐjīng zǒu le.

    He's already left.

  • 已经十点了。

    Yǐjīng shí diǎn le.

    It's already ten o'clock.

就 vs 才: early or late

就 (jiù) says something happened early, quickly or easily, and usually takes 了. 才 (cái) says it happened late or with difficulty, and never takes 了. The time word goes before both.

FeelExample
就earlier than expected他七点就来了。 He came at seven (already).
才later than expected他十点才来。 He didn't come until ten.

  • 我六点就起床了。

    Wǒ liù diǎn jiù qǐ chuáng le.

    I was up by six.

  • 他十二点才睡觉。

    Tā shí'èr diǎn cái shuì jiào.

    He didn't go to bed until midnight.

要…了: about to

要 + verb + 了 means something is about to happen. 快要 and 就要 make it more immediate. With a specific time, use 就要, not 快要.

  • 要下雨了。

    Yào xià yǔ le.

    It's about to rain.

  • 火车快要开了。

    Huǒchē kuài yào kāi le.

    The train is about to leave.

  • 他下个月就要结婚了。

    Tā xià ge yuè jiù yào jiéhūn le.

    He's getting married next month.

Still, all along, suddenly, lately

还 (still): 他还在睡觉. 一直 (all along, continuously): 我一直在等你. 老是 is "always" with a note of complaint. 最近 (lately), 平时 (usually, normally). 忽然 (suddenly) for an unexpected event, 原来 (so it turns out) for discovering the truth.

  • 他还在睡觉。

    Tā hái zài shuì jiào.

    He's still asleep.

  • 我一直在等你。

    Wǒ yìzhí zài děng nǐ.

    I've been waiting for you the whole time.

  • 最近我很忙。

    Zuìjìn wǒ hěn máng.

    I've been busy lately.

  • 原来你是老师！

    Yuánlái nǐ shì lǎoshī!

    Oh, so you're a teacher!

Common mistakes

  • ✗他十点才来了。

    ✓他十点才来。

    Tā shí diǎn cái lái.

    才 never takes 了, even though the event is in the past.

  • ✗我已经吃饭。

    ✓我已经吃饭了。

    Wǒ yǐjīng chī fàn le.

    已经 is almost always paired with 了 at the end.

  • ✗下个月快要放假了。

    ✓下个月就要放假了。

    Xià ge yuè jiù yào fàng jià le.

    With a specific time word, use 就要. 快要 can't follow a time expression.

Questions learners ask

Does 就 always mean "early"?

No. 就 has many jobs: "then" after a condition (如果…就), "right away" (我就来), "exactly" (就是他). The early-or-late contrast with 才 is just one of them.

Is 一直 the same as 总是?

No. 一直 is continuous, without a break (一直在下雨, it's been raining non-stop). 总是 is "always, every time" (他总是迟到, he's always late).

Practice this in lessons

The Everyday Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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