Sentence pattern · Band 2
快……了 and 要……了: about to happen
快/要 + 动词 + 了
快 and 要 plus a verb plus 了 all lean forward over the fence: any minute now. 快要下雨了 means the sky is about to let go; the train is about to leave; I am almost home. English says about to; Mandarin builds the suspense with 快 or 要 up front and lets 了 let the air out at the end.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
The frame is 快 or 要 plus verb plus 了; without the closing 了 the cliffhanger never lands.
要 opens the frame before the verb and 了 closes it at the end; 了 never rides second.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 快……了、要……了 mean?
快 and 要 plus a verb plus 了 all lean forward over the fence: any minute now. 快要下雨了 means the sky is about to let go; the train is about to leave; I am almost home. English says about to; Mandarin builds the suspense with 快 or 要 up front and lets 了 let the air out at the end.
How do you build it?
快/要 + 动词 + 了
What is the most common mistake?
快下雨。 → 快下雨了。
The frame is 快 or 要 plus verb plus 了; without the closing 了 the cliffhanger never lands.
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