Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 差点
In Mandarin Chinese, 差点 (chàdiǎn) is commonly used to express the idea of “almost” or “nearly” doing something, usually implying that the outcome was close to happening but ultimately did not.
It’s often used to describe situations where something undesirable or unexpected almost happened but was avoided just in time.
BASIC STRUCTURE
The structure to use 差点 is:
PATTERN
Subject + 差点 (就) + Predicate + (了)
Sometimes， “就” and “了” are always used. In some cases, they are optional.
FOR NARROWLY AVOIDED OUTCOMES
In these cases, we use “差点” to express that something undesirable almost happened, but didn’t.
| 我差点摔倒。 | Wǒ chàdiǎn shuāidǎo. | I almost fell. |
| 他差点迟到了。 | Tā chàdiǎn chídào le. | He almost arrived late. |
| 他们差点儿输了比赛。 | Tāmen chàdiǎnr shūle bǐsài. | They almost lost the game. |
FOR POSITIVE OUTCOMES
Though less common, “差点” can also be used to express that something positive almost happened but ultimately didn’t happen.
PATTERN
Subject + 差点 就 + Predicate + 了
| 我差点就赢了。 | Wǒ chàdiǎn jiù yíng le. | I almost won. |
| 他差点就成功了。 | Tā chàdiǎn jiù chénggōng le. | He almost succeeded. |
| 她差点就得到那个职位了。 | Tā chàdiǎn jiù dédàole nàge zhíwèi le. | She almost got the position. |
KEY POINT || When we use “差点“ to express we almost obtained something positive, it’s conventional to use the full structure: Subject + 差点 就 + Predicate + 了 .
WITH SINGLE CHARACTER WORDS
We have seen sentences like “我差点摔倒”（ I almost fell）, and sentences like “我差点忘了” (I almost forgot).
In the second sentence, there is “了” whereas in the first case, there isn’t.
In the sentence “我差点忘了” (I almost forgot), we have verbs that are single-character verbs.
For example, “忘” (forget) is a single character, whereas “摔倒” (Fall down) is a multi-character verb.
It’s common to use the structure Subject + 差点 (就）+ Predicate + 了 when we have the single character verbs.
Let’s see some examples.
| 忘 (forget) | 我差点忘了。 | Wǒ chàdiǎn wàng le. | I almost forgot. |
| 哭 (cry) | 他差点哭了。 | Tā chàdiǎn kū le. | He almost cried. |
| 丢 (lose) | 她差点弄丢了钱包。 | Tā chàdiǎn diū le qiánbāo. | She almost lost her wallet. |
| 死 (die) | 他差点儿死了。 | Tā chàdiǎn sǐ le. | He almost died. |
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS
“几乎” (jīhū) – 几乎 (jīhū) and 差点 (chàdiǎn) are both used to express “almost” in Chinese.
➡️ 几乎 generally implies that something was very close to occurring or reaching a certain state.
➡️ 差点 suggests an event nearly happened and is often used when the action was on the verge of happening but didn’t, giving a stronger sense of near-occurrence and often carrying an emotional tone of relief or regret.
Context of use:
➡️ “几乎” is more versatile and can be used in a wider range of situations, including descriptive statements or hypothetical comparisons. “几乎” is more formal than “差点”.
➡️ “差点” is typically used with verbs to imply that an action or event almost occurred but was narrowly avoided or not completed.
SUMMARY
• Subject + 差点 + 就 + Predicate + 了 is the basic structure for expressing “almost” with 差点.
• When we use “差点” to express a good outcome almost happened, it’s conventional to use the full structure: Subj. + 差点 就 + Predicate + 了 .
• When the verb following “差点” is a single-character word, we should use the structure Subj. + 差点 (就）+ Predicate + 了.
• In other cases, “就” and “了” are optional.
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FAQs
What does 差点 mean in Chinese?
差点 means “almost” or “nearly” and is used to describe situations where something almost happened but didn’t.
How do you use 差点 in a sentence?
差点 is placed before the verb, as in 我差点迟到了 (wǒ chàdiǎn chídào le), meaning “I almost arrived late.”
Can 差点 describe positive, negative outcomes?
差点 is primarily used for negative or undesired outcomes, such as accidents or mistakes, but context can occasionally allow for positive use.
What’s the difference between 差点 and 几乎?
差点 emphasizes an action or event that didn’t happen but was very close to occurring, while 几乎 (jīhū) is more general and describes things that are close to reality, not necessarily events that were avoided.
Is 差点 formal or informal?
差点 is more commonly used in spoken and informal written Chinese to convey personal experiences or near-miss situations.
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