AdverbsHSK 4

Expressing earliness with 就

Use 就 after a time word or phrase to stress that an event happens earlier than expected or very soon. The time word can be a specific moment (现在, 明天) or a short duration (马上, 一会儿). Avoid using 就 here without a preceding time expression, as it won't carry the 'earliness' meaning on its own.

Structure

Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb

Examples

我马上就来。
Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.
I'll be there in a second.
米饭二十分钟就好。
Mǐfàn èrshí fēnzhōng jiù hǎo.
The rice will be ready in 20 minutes.
你们现在就出门吗？
Nǐmen xiànzài jiù chūmén ma?
Are you leaving the house right now?
他们一会儿就到。
Tāmen yīhuìr jiù dào.
They will be here in a few minutes.
老板明天就回来。
Lǎobǎn míngtiān jiù huílái.
The boss will be back tomorrow.

Words that use this

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 ...