adverb HSK 3
about to · going to soon · will soon
Meaning
快要 is an adverb that indicates something is about to happen or will happen in the very near future. It expresses imminence and is more immediate than 要 (yào) alone. It's commonly used before verbs to show that an action or state change is approaching.
Usage
快要 is typically used with verbs that indicate a change of state or completion of an action. It's often paired with 了 (le) at the end of the sentence to emphasize the imminent change. Common in both spoken and written Chinese to express urgency or anticipation about near-future events.
Examples
- 01快要下雨了，我们赶快回家吧。, .It's about to rain, let's hurry home.
- 02电影快要开始了，你快点儿！, !The movie is about to start, hurry up!
Characters
Common collocations
- 快要...了...about to ... (sentence pattern)
- 快要下雨了it's about to rain
- 快要到了almost there, about to arrive
Origin
Combines 快 (fast/soon) with 要 (will/going to) to create a compound that emphasizes the immediacy of a future action.