Time Adverbs 刚, 才, 一直, 马上, 先
Say that something just happened, happened late, kept going, or will happen right away with 刚, 才, 一直, 马上, 先 and 一会儿.
Structure
subject + 刚/才/一直/马上/先 + verb; time + 才 + verb (late); 先 A，再 B
刚 looks back a moment, 马上 looks ahead a moment, and 一直 covers the whole time in between.
我刚到家。
When to use Time Adverbs 刚, 才, 一直, 马上, 先
刚 (or 刚刚, a little stronger) before a verb means the action happened only a moment ago: 我刚到 “I’ve just arrived”. 一直 before a verb means something kept going without a break, often up to now: 我一直在等你 “I’ve been waiting for you the whole time”. Both are adverbs, so they go after the subject and right before the verb, never at the start of the sentence.
他刚刚出去，你等一会儿吧。
He just stepped out; wait a little while.
从早上到现在，雨一直在下。
It’s been raining nonstop since this morning.
我一直想去北京看看。
I’ve always wanted to visit Beijing.
他十点才起床。
He didn’t get up until ten. (later than expected)
Pièges courants
- Don’t end a 才 sentence with 了: say 他十点才起床, not 他十点才起床了.
- 刚 goes after the subject: 他刚走, not 刚他走. Only the time word 刚才 “a moment ago” can come first: 刚才他来过.
- Watch where 一会儿 goes: after the verb it says how long (我们休息一会儿 “let’s rest for a while”), before the verb it says when (我一会儿休息 “I’ll rest in a moment”).
Exercice ciblé
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