A2 · Grammar reference
Expressing "about to happen" with "le"
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(kuàiyào) or a 要 (yào). This is a special form of using 了 to indicate a change of situation.
- Keywords
- 快 · 了 · 要 · about
- Used for
- Expressing time and date · Sequencing events in time · Referring to changes of situation
- Classification
- HSK2
Examples (15)
我们快到了。
快下雨了。
快要过年了，你什么时候回家？
我女朋友快要过生日了。
快下车了，你再等一会儿。
天快黑了。
我快好了。
饭快凉了。
这些脏衣服快臭了。
不能再喝了，我快醉了。
我要生气了！
他们的孩子要出生了。
9点了，超市要关门了。
我最好的朋友要结婚了！
圣诞节要到了，你有什么打算？
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Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.
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