8.8: Lesson 7 Grammar- Expressing lateness with 才 (cái)
- Page ID
- 66630
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To express that something happened later than expected, you can use 才 (cái). In English, this might be expressed with "as late as" or "not until." This form is often used with a time of some sort, like a specific time of day, age, etc. This pattern is essentially the opposite of using 就 (jiù) to express earliness.
Structure
Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb
Examples
- 我昨天晚上十一点才到家。
Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang shíyī diǎn cái dào jiā.
I didn't arrive at home until eleven o'clock last night.
- 他二十五岁才上大学。
Tā èrshí-wǔ suì cái shàng dàxué.
He didn't go to college until he was 25.
- 她四十岁才结婚。
Tā sìshí suì cái jiéhūn.
She didn't get married until she was forty.
- 我女儿昨天十二点才睡觉，作业太多了。
Wǒ nǚ'ér zuótiān shí'èr diǎn cái shuìjiào, zuòyè tài duō le.
My daughter didn't go to bed until 12 o'clock yesterday. Too much homework.
- 你九点上班，八点半才起床？
Nǐ jiǔ diǎn shàngbān, bā diǎn bàn cái qǐchuáng?
You start work at nine o'clock, but don't get up until 8:30?
- 飞机刚刚才起飞，晚点了两个小时。
Fēijī gānggāng cái qǐfēi, wǎndiǎn le liǎng gè xiǎoshí.
The airplane just took off. It was delayed for two hours.
- 电影七点半开始，可是因为堵车，我们八点才到。
Diànyǐng qī diǎn bàn kāishǐ, kěshì yīnwèi dǔchē, wǒmen bā diǎn cái dào.
The movie began at 7:30, but we didn't arrive until eight because of traffic.
You can use 才 alone with the verb to indicate the lateness when the context is clear:
- 你怎么才吃晚饭？已经十点了。
Nǐ zěnme cái chī wǎnfàn? Yǐjīng shí diǎn le.
How come you are eating dinner now? It's 10 pm.
- 你怎么才来？我们等了半个多小时。
Nǐ zěnme cái lái? Wǒmen děng le bàn gè duō xiǎoshí.
How come you came here so late? We've waited for more than half an hour.
Note that verbs following 才 should not take 了.
- 我昨天晚上十一点才到家了。 <<< BAD EXAMPLE, never say it this way!
Wǒ zuótiān wǎnshang shíyī diǎn cái dào jiā le.
- 她四十岁才结婚了。 <<< BAD EXAMPLE, never say it this way!
Tā sìshí suì cái jiéhūn le.
[adapted from AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki, Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA 3.0]
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Any Questions?
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