快要 kuàiyào nearly at the point of (doing something)
nearly at the point of (doing something); about to (do something)
How to remember 快要: 快 quick + 要 want = nearly at the point of (doing something).
Characters
How it is used
- 'About to, on the verge of' - 火车快要开了 (huǒchē kuàiyào kāi le) the train's about to leave.
- Almost always framed as 快要...了; the 了 is required to close the 'imminent' pattern.
- Near-synonyms 就要 (jiùyào) and 快...了 do the same job; 就要 can pin an exact time (明天就要走).
Example sentences
- 他快要睡了。 Tā kuàiyào shuì le.He was just on the verge of going to sleep.
- 天快要下雨了。 Tiān kuàiyào xiàyǔ le.It'll rain soon.
- 飞机快要起飞了。 Fēijī kuàiyào qǐfēi le.The plane is about to take off.