裤子
kùzi
Pants, trousers
快要 (kuài yào) — how to say "about to" in Chinese
快要
About to, soon
time adverb
How to use it
Goes after the subject, before the verb.
天快要黑了。
tiān kuài yào hēi le
It's getting dark soon.
Character composition
快
fast
要
to want, need
Radicals / Keys
心
Heart
#61 · xīn · 4 strokes
襾
Cover
#146 · yà · 6 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
快要下雨了
kuài yào xià yǔ le
it's going to rain soon
快要到了
kuài yào dào le
almost there
快要考试了
kuài yào kǎo shì le
the exam is coming soon
Examples
我们快要到学校了。
We are about to arrive at school.
快要下雨了。
It's about to rain.
Mnemonic
[kuài yào-] Kwak the frog hopped fast along the garden path: the rain is 快要 come, and dark clouds already hung overhead. ☔️🐸 He hurried toward his pond, for the downpour was about to start!
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "about to" in Chinese?
"about to" in Chinese is 快要 (kuài yào).
What does 快要 mean in English?
快要 (kuài yào) means "About to, soon".
How is 快要 pronounced?
It is pronounced kuài yào (written as kuai yao, kuaiyao). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "about to" in Chinese characters?
It is written 快要.
What HSK 3.0 level is 快要?
快要 is on the HSK 3.0 level 2 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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