Introduction
快要……了 (kuài yào … le) says something is on the point of happening. 快下雨了。(Kuài xià yǔ le.) — It's about to rain. Like 已经……了 (yǐjīng … le), it is a pair: the front word sets the timing and the 了 marks the change.
Overview
Structure: 快 (kuài) / 快要 (kuài yào) / 就要 (jiù yào) + Verb + 了 (le)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 快 + V + 了 | 快下雨了。(Kuài xià yǔ le.) | It's about to rain. |
| 快要 + V + 了 | 电影快要开始了。(Diànyǐng kuài yào kāishǐ le.) | The film's about to start. |
| 就要 + V + 了 | 我就要走了。(Wǒ jiù yào zǒu le.) | I'm leaving any moment. |
| Time + 就要 + V + 了 | 我明天就要走了。(Wǒ míngtiān jiù yào zǒu le.) | I'm leaving tomorrow. |
| 快 + Number + 了 | 快三点了。(Kuài sān diǎn le.) | It's nearly three. |
快要 (kuài yào) takes no time word; 就要 (jiù yào) does:
- ✓ 我明天就要走了。(Wǒ míngtiān jiù yào zǒu le.) — I'm leaving tomorrow.
- ❌ 我明天快要走了。(Wǒ míngtiān kuài yào zǒu le.)
- 快要 (kuài yào) means "soon" on its own terms and refuses to be pinned to a date.
- 快 (kuài) alone is the shortest and most spoken form: 快下雨了。(Kuài xià yǔ le.)
Examples
快下雨了，带把伞吧。
Kuài xià yǔ le, dài bǎ sǎn ba.
It's about to rain, take an umbrella.
电影快要开始了。
Diànyǐng kuài yào kāishǐ le.
The film's about to start.
我明天就要走了。
Wǒ míngtiān jiù yào zǒu le.
I'm leaving tomorrow.
快三点了，我们走吧。
Kuài sān diǎn le, wǒmen zǒu ba.
It's nearly three, let's go.
他快要三十岁了。
Tā kuài yào sānshí suì le.
He's about to turn thirty.
考试就要开始了，别说话。
Kǎoshì jiù yào kāishǐ le, bié shuōhuà.
The exam's about to start, no talking.
Usage Notes
- The 了 (le) is compulsory. 快下雨 (kuài xià yǔ) on its own is not a sentence.
- 要……了 (yào … le) without 快 (kuài) or 就 (jiù) works too and is slightly calmer: 他要走了。(Tā yào zǒu le.)
- 快 (kuài) also means "fast" as an ordinary adjective — 他走得很快。(Tā zǒu de hěn kuài.) The 了 tells you which meaning is in play.
- The pattern describes the near future, so it never combines with 过 (guo) or a completed 了: ❌ 快要走了了.
- 已经……了 (yǐjīng … le) and 快要……了 (kuài yào … le) sit on either side of now — already done, about to happen.