AdverbsHSK 4

Expressing "about to" with 就要

The structure 就要...了 indicates that something is about to happen very soon. It is frequently used with a comma and a second clause, setting the scene for another event that will follow immediately after the imminent action.

Structure

就要 + Verb + 了

Often used with a comma and another clause to indicate a subsequent event

Examples

就要下雨了。
Jiù yào xià yǔ le.
It's about to rain.
他们就要结婚了。
Tā men jiù yào jié hūn le.
They are about to get married.
我就要出国了。
Wǒ jiù yào chū guó le.
I'm about to go abroad.
宝宝就要一岁了。
Bǎo bao jiù yào yí suì le.
The baby is about to be one year old.
就要下课了，还有别的问题吗？
Jiù yào xià kè le, hái yǒu bié de wèn tí ma?
The class is almost over. Are there any other questions?

Words that use this

就要jiù yāobe about to; be on the point of
就jiù(after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 是) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly; only; as little as; as much as; as many as; to approach; to move towards; to undertake; to engage in; (often followed by 着) taking advantage of; (of food) to go with; with regard to; concerning; (pattern: 就 ... 也 ...) even if ... still ...; (pattern: 不 ... 就 ...) if not ... then must be ...