About to Happen: 要, 快要, 就要……了
Say something is about to happen with 要……了, 快要……了 or 就要……了, and contrast it with 已经……了 for what has already happened.
Pattern
(快/就) 要 + verb + 了; 快 + time/number + 了; time word + 就要 + verb + 了
The 了 at the end is part of the pattern: 快要下雨了 “it’s about to rain”.
火车快要开了。
When to use About to Happen: 要, 快要, 就要……了
To say something is about to happen, put 要, 快要 or 就要 before the verb and 了 at the end of the sentence: 要下雨了 “it’s going to rain”. 快要 (or just 快) stresses “almost, very soon”, and 快 can also go straight before a time or number: 快十二点了. 就要 also means “very soon”, and it is the one to use when the sentence has a time word like 明天 or 下个月.
要下雨了，我们回家吧。
It’s going to rain, let’s go home.
快十二点了，我们去吃饭吧。
It’s almost twelve, let’s go eat.
我下个月就要回国了。
I’m going back to my country next month.
电影快开始了。
The movie is about to start.
Common traps
- Don’t drop the final 了: say 快要下雨了, not 快要下雨.
- With a time word, use 就要: say 明天就要考试了, not 明天快要考试了.
- Put 快 before the time: say 快八点了, not 八点快了.
Targeted drill
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