2.15.1 Say "about to" with 要……了 | HSK 2 Beginner's Chinese Course
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Review of Previous Lessons
- In grammar point 2.1, the word "yao" was introduced to express intention, contrasting it with "wei," which indicates likelihood without intent.
- "Yao" and "wei" both relate to future events; however, this lesson focuses on expressing more immediate futures.
Expressing Immediate Futures
- To indicate something is about to happen, use the structure "yao + verb + la." For example, "huoche yao lai" means "the train is about to come."
- Adding “qi” (soon/quickly) can emphasize urgency: “huoche yao kuai lai” translates as “the train is about to come soon.”
Practical Examples
- Example sentences illustrate usage:
- “Huoche dao Beijing yao kuai zai chufa” means “The train to Beijing is about to leave soon.”
- “Tianqi yaojia” translates as “It’s about to rain soon,” advising caution on the road.
Time Expressions and Redundancy
- When using time expressions like "next month," avoid redundancy by not combining them with terms like "soon": e.g., say either “next month” or “soon,” but not both.
- Emphasizing urgency can be done using structures learned in previous lessons, such as adding words that indicate actions will occur sooner than expected.
Conclusion and Course Offerings
- The lesson encourages reviewing textbook materials for deeper understanding and mentions additional resources available through their complete HSK video course.