How to Say “Again” (in the Past) with 又 (yòu)
又 (yòu) is “again” for things that have already happened — (Subject +) 又 + Verb + 了: 你又迟到了 (“you’re late again”). Negatively, 又 + 没 + Verb means “didn’t … again” (他又没及格). For “again” in the future, you need 再 instead.
Why this trips learners up
When something has happened again — “oops, I did it again!” — Chinese uses 又 (yòu), not 再. The pattern is (Subject +) 又 + Verb + 了: 你又迟到了 (“you’re late again”), 我又买错东西了 (“I bought the wrong thing again”). It happened before, and now it’s happened again — the 了 is required, because it’s a completed fact.
That’s the split to burn in: 又 = past “again,” 再 = future “again.” 他昨天又来了 (already happened) vs 他明天会再来 (planned). They translate to the same English “again,” but Chinese sorts them by tense.
The negative uses 没 (or 不) without the 了: 又 + 没 + Verb = “didn’t … again” — 这次他又没及格 (“he failed again this time”), 他又没起来 (“again he didn’t get up”). Careful: 又 + 不/没 also has a separate “it’s not even…!” reading (我又不是小孩子) — that defensive emphasis is its own pattern; here 又没 means a repeated non-event.
Two more very common uses. The idiom 又来了 — “there he goes again” — a slightly annoyed “here it comes again.” And when something is clearly about to happen again, 又 teams up with 要/能/可以 + 了: 周一又要上班了 (“back to work again on Monday”), 又能拿红包了 (“we get red packets again”).
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
nǐ 你 Subject yòu 又 Pattern lái wǎn 来晚 Verb le 了 Pattern
You’re late again (又 + verb + 了).
wǒ 我 Subject yòu 又 Pattern mǎi cuò 买错 Verb dōngxi 东西 Object le 了 Pattern
I bought the wrong thing again (又…了).
tā 他 Subject zhège yuè 这个月 Time yòu 又 Pattern gǎnmào 感冒 Verb le 了 Pattern
He’s caught a cold again this month (又…了).
zhè cì kǎoshì 这次考试 Time tā 他 Subject yòu 又 Pattern méi 没 Negation jígé 及格 Verb
He failed the exam again this time (又 + 没 — “didn’t … again”).
tā 他 Subject yòu 又 Pattern lái 来 Verb le 了 Pattern měi cì dōu chídào 每次都迟到 Verb
There he goes again — late every single time (the idiom 又来了).
nàozhōng xiǎng le 闹钟响了 Time tā 他 Subject yòu 又 Pattern méi 没 Negation qǐlái 起来 Verb
The alarm went off, and again he didn’t get up (又 + 没).
zhōuyī 周一 Time yòu 又 Pattern yào 要 Function word shàngbān 上班 Verb le 了 Pattern zhēn bù xiǎng qǐchuáng 真不想起床 Verb
It’s back to work again on Monday — I really don’t want to get up (又要…了, about to happen again).
yí dào xiàtiān 一到夏天 Time wénzi 蚊子 Subject yòu 又 Pattern duō qǐlái 多起来 Verb le 了 Pattern
Once summer comes, the mosquitoes are back again (又…了 with a change verb).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 又…了 is “again” for the PAST (already happened). For a future “again,” use 再: 明天我再来 (“I’ll come again tomorrow”), not 明天我又来.
Why it happens: Affirmative 又…了 reports something that already happened — keep the 了: 灯又坏了 (“the light broke again”), not 灯又坏.
Why it happens: 又 goes right before the verb, never after it: 他又来晚了 (“he’s late again”), not 他来又晚了.
Compare & contrast
| 又 — “again” in the PAST (already happened, +了) | 再 — “again” in the FUTURE (planned, no 了) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 他昨天又来晚了tā zuótiān yòu lái wǎn le | 他明天会再来tā míngtiān huì zài lái | 他昨天又来晚了 = “he was late again yesterday” (done — 又…了). 他明天会再来 = “he’ll come again tomorrow” (planned — 再). |
| 他又试了一次tā yòu shì le yí cì | 我想再试一次wǒ xiǎng zài shì yí cì | 他又试了一次 = “he tried again” (already happened). 我想再试一次 = “I want to try again” (future intent). |
Try it yourself
Say “I failed again.” — (Subject +) 又 + verb + 了.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Again” (in the Past) with 又 (yòu) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.