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How to say “about to” in Chinese with 就要 (jiùyào)

(还有 (háiyǒu) + Time Period) + 就要 (jiùyào) + Verb Phrase + 了 (le)

Expressing "about to" with "就要 (jiùyào)"

HSK 2Adverbs

Rule structure

就要 (jiùyào) indicates that an action is about to happen soon and is often used with 了 (le). When a specific remaining time before the event is stated, 就要 (jiùyào) is normally used rather than 快要 (kuàiyào).

Examples

还有五分钟就要上课了。

Hái yǒu wǔ fēnzhōng jiù yào shàngkè le.

Class is about to start in five minutes.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Expressing "about to" with "就要 (jiùyào)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: (还有 (háiyǒu) + Time Period) + 就要 (jiùyào) + Verb Phrase + 了 (le). For example: 还有五分钟就要上课了。 — “Class is about to start in five minutes.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

还有五分钟就要上课了。 — “Class is about to start in five minutes.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 2.

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More HSK 2 grammar rules

Emphasis with "就是 (jiùshì)"

就是 (jiùshì) + Verb

Expressing "then" with "就 (jiù)"

就 (jiù) + Verb Phrase

Continuation with "还 (hái)"

Subj. + 还 (hái) + Verb Phrase / Adj.

Expressing "again" in the future with "再 (zài)"

再 (zài) + Verb

Expressing earliness with "就 (jiù)"

Subj. + Time + 就 (jiù) + Verb + 了 (le)

Expressing "already" with "都 (dōu)"

都 (dōu) + Time + 了 (le)

Expressing "and also" with "还 (hái)"

还 (hái) + Verb

Negative commands with "别 (bié)"

别 (bié) + Verb