Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 快…了
Instead of changing a verbs form like in French or Italian, in Chinese we use other ways to tell how something happened before or will happen soon.
This article will introduce a fixed pattern “快…了（kuài …le )” to you, which is usually used to express that something will happen soon in Mandarin.
HOW TO USE 快了 WITH VERBS
In short, “快…了” paired with verbs means “just about to/soon/almost…”.
But instead of thinking of it as a specific phrase or word, it is more accurate to comprehend “快…了” as a state of coming soon.
PATTERN
Subject + 快 + Verb + 了
For example, when the plane is about to take off, you can say:
| 飞机快起飞了。 | fēi jī kuài qǐ fēi le. |
You can also add “要” after “快”.
飞机快要起飞了。
Generally speaking, both patterns tell the same thing, but adding “要” can make the sentence sound even more complete.
PATTERN
Subject + 快要 + Verb + 了
HOW TO USE 快了 WITH ADJECTIVES
Paired with adjectives “快…了” means “almost”. What’s important here, is that it is used to modify an adjective or state instead of actions.
STRUCTURE #1
Subject + 快 + Adjective + 了
STRUCTURE #2
Subject + 快要 + Adjective + 了
COMMON MISTAKES
It’s common that beginners always mix “快要…了” with “就要…了”.
And in most cases, they indeed can substitute each other.
But when it comes to specific time qualifiers, we should only use “就要…了”.
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 他们明天就要出发了。 | tā men míng tiān jiù yào chū fā le | They’re leaving tomorrow. |
| 爸爸后天就要出差了。 | bà bà hòu tiān jiù yào chū chà le | Dad is going on a business trip the day after tomorrow. |
| 我们下周就要放假了。 | wǒ men xià zhōu jiù yào fàng jiǎ le | We are going on vacation next week. |
In those cases, “明天”、“后天”、“下周” are specific time qualifiers, so we should use “就要”.
SUMMARY OF 快了 VS 就要
| EXPRESSING SOMETHING THAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN | EXAMPLE | WHEN TO USE |
|---|---|---|
| 快…了 = 快要…了 = 要…了 | 这艘船快（要）开了。 zhè sōu chuán kuài kāi le The ship is about to leave. | For something that is about to happen |
| 就要…了 | 他们明天就要出发了。 tā men míng tiān jiù yào chū fā le They’re leaving tomorrow. | If there’s a specific time qualifier |
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FAQs
How do I pronounce 快了 in Chinese?
快…了 is pronounced kuài…le.
How do I use 快了 with verbs?
In Chinese the sentence structure should be:
Subject + 快 + Verb + 了.
Examples:
这艘船快开了。zhè sōu chuán kuài kāi le | The ship is about to leave.
太阳快下山了，我们去看日落吧！tài yáng kuài xià shān le, wǒ men qù kàn rì luò ba | The sun is going down, let’s watch the sunset!
How do I use 快了 with adjectives?
The sentence structure should be:
Subject + 快 + adjective + 了 OR
Subject + 快要 + Adjective + 了
Examples:
-你准备好了吗？-nǐ zhǔn bèi hǎo le ma | Are you ready?
-快好了。-kuài hǎo le | Almost done.
–我觉得她快要生气了。-wǒ jué dé tā kuài yào shēng qì le | I think she’s about to get angry.
What does 快…了 with verbs mean in English?
快…了 with verbs in English represents a state of coming soon.
How to use 要 with 快?
Adding “要” after “快” can make the sentence sound even more complete.
The sentence structure should be:
Subject + 快要 + verb + 了
Examples:
新年快要到了。xīn nián kuài yào dào le | New year is coming.
10点了，饭店快要关门了。10 diǎn le, fàn diàn kuài yào guān mén le | It’s 10 o’clock, the restaurant is about to close.
How to use 就要…了?
We use “就要…了 when it comes to specific time qualifiers.
Examples:
他们明天就要出发了。tā men míng tiān jiù yào chū fā le. | They’re leaving tomorrow.
我们下周就要放假了。wǒ men xià zhōu jiù yào fàng jiǎ le. | We are going on vacation next week.