要…了, 快要…了: about to happen
火车要开了, 快下雨了, 明天就要考试了: something is about to happen.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Just about to…
To say something is about to happen, Chinese wraps the verb in a frame: a word before it and 了 at the end.
| Pattern | Pinyin | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| 要 + verb + 了 | yào … le | about to |
| 快要 + verb + 了 | kuài yào … le | very soon, nearly |
| 快 + verb + 了 | kuài … le | very soon, nearly (shorter) |
| 就要 + verb + 了 | jiù yào … le | very soon; can take a time word |
- 火车要开了。(Huǒchē yào kāi le.)The train is about to leave.
- 快要下雨了。(Kuài yào xià yǔ le.)It's about to rain.
- 我们快到了。(Wǒmen kuài dào le.)We're almost there.
- 电影就要开始了。(Diànyǐng jiù yào kāishǐ le.)The film is about to start.
The 了 at the end matters. It is the "new situation" 了 of 了 at the end: something has changed: the change is right on top of you. Without it, 火车要开 sounds like "the train will leave" or "the train wants to leave", not "is about to".
With a time word: 就要, not 快要
If you say when (明天, 下个月, 五点), use 就要 (plain 要…了 also works: 他明天要走了). 快 and 快要 can't follow a time word.
- 她下个月就要结婚了。(Tā xià gè yuè jiù yào jiéhūn le.)She's getting married next month.
快 + a number or a time
快 can also go before a number, a time or an adjective: "nearly".
- 快十二点了，睡觉吧。(Kuài shí'èr diǎn le, shuìjiào ba.)It's nearly twelve; go to bed.
- 我爸爸快六十岁了。(Wǒ bàba kuài liùshí suì le.)My dad is nearly sixty.
A common answer when someone asks if you're done: 快好了！(Kuài hǎo le!) = Nearly ready!
Common mistakes
火车要开。for "the train is about to leave" → 火车要开了。The final 了 makes it "about to".我们下个月快要放假了。→ 我们下个月就要放假了。After a time word, use 就要.他快要了走。→ 他快要走了。了 goes at the end, after the verb.她快五十岁。→ 她快五十岁了。"Nearly" with 快 needs the final 了.
Practice
- 飞机_____起飞了。(Fēijī ___ qǐfēi le.)Options: 快要 (kuài yào) · 正在 (zhèngzài) · 已经 (yǐjīng)
Show the answer
快要 (kuài yào) — About to: 快要…了. 已经…了 = has already taken off.
- 比赛快开始_____。(Bǐsài kuài kāishǐ ___.)
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了 — 快 + verb + 了.
- Which sentence is correct for 'We're going to Beijing tomorrow' (very soon)?Options: 我们明天就要去北京了。(Wǒmen míngtiān jiù yào qù Běijīng le.) · 我们明天快要去北京了。(Wǒmen míngtiān kuài yào qù Běijīng le.) · 我们明天快去北京了。(Wǒmen míngtiān kuài qù Běijīng le.)
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我们明天就要去北京了。(Wǒmen míngtiān jiù yào qù Běijīng le.) — With a time word like 明天, use 就要…了 (plain 要…了 also works); 快(要) can't follow a time word.
- What does 他快到了。(Tā kuài dào le.) mean?Options: He'll be here soon. · He has arrived. · He arrived quickly.
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He'll be here soon.