就要 vs 快要: Saying “About To” with a Set Time
就要…了 and 快要…了 both mean “about to,” but only 就要 (or bare 就) can pin a SPECIFIC time: 还有 + Time + 就要 + Verb + 了 — 还有十分钟我就下班了 (“I get off in ten minutes”). 快要 stays general (快要下班了). The “about to” always lives in the final 了.
Why this trips learners up
You already know the “about to happen” 了 with 快 / 快要 / 要 / 就要. 就要 and 快要 feel interchangeable — 就要下雨了 and 快要下雨了 both mean “it’s about to rain.” But there’s one real difference, and it’s the reason this page exists: only 就要 (or bare 就) can be pinned to a specific time.
The set-time pattern is 还有 + Time + (Subject) + 就(要) + Verb + 了: 还有十分钟我就下班了 (“I get off work in ten minutes”), 还有三天就要开学了 (“school starts in three days”), 还有一个月就要过年了 (“it’s New Year in a month”). Put a countdown like 还有十分钟 in front, and you must use 就(要) — 快要 simply can’t take it. (This is the “earliness” 就 — soon, in just that much time.) In this frame, 要 is optional: 还有十分钟我就下班了 and …我就要下班了 are both fine.
So the split is simple: 快要…了 = general imminence (“about to,” no clock — 快要下班了), 就要…了 = imminence you can put a time on (还有五分钟就要下班了). When there’s no time phrase, the two are interchangeable; the moment you add 还有 + Time, only 就(要) works.
One thing never changes: the “about to” meaning is carried by the final 了, not by 就/快. Drop it — 他就要结婚 — and the sentence is broken; it’s 他就要结婚了. And the 要 here is the imminence 要 (“about to”), not 要 “want.”
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.
mèimei 妹妹 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern shàng xiǎoxué 上小学 Verb le 了 Pattern
My little sister is about to start primary school (plain 就要 + verb + 了).
tā 他 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern dāng bàba 当爸爸 Verb le 了 Pattern
He’s about to become a dad (plain 就要…了).
háiyǒu 还有 Other sān tiān 三天 Time jiù yào 就要 Pattern kāixué 开学 Verb le 了 Pattern
School starts in three days (还有 + time + 就要…了).
háiyǒu 还有 Other shí fēnzhōng 十分钟 Time wǒ 我 Subject jiù 就 Pattern dào jiā 到家 Verb le 了 Pattern
I’ll be home in ten minutes (还有 + time + 就 — 要 dropped).
háiyǒu 还有 Other yí ge xīngqī 一个星期 Time wǒmen 我们 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern bānjiā 搬家 Verb le 了 Pattern
We’re moving in a week (还有 + time + subject + 就要…了).
háiyǒu 还有 Other liǎng ge yuè 两个月 Time bǎobao 宝宝 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern chūshēng 出生 Verb le 了 Pattern
The baby is due in two months (还有 + time + 就要…了).
kuài diǎnr 快点儿 Verb diànyǐng 电影 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern kāishǐ 开始 Verb le 了 Pattern
Hurry up — the movie’s about to start (plain 就要…了, urgent).
háiyǒu 还有 Other zuìhòu yì gōnglǐ 最后一公里 Time wǒmen 我们 Subject jiù yào 就要 Pattern dào shāndǐng 到山顶 Verb le 了 Pattern jiānchí yíxià 坚持一下 Verb
One last kilometer and we’ll reach the summit — hang in there! (a countdown by distance).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: The whole point: with a specific time (还有十分钟…) you must use 就(要), not 快要. 还有十分钟就要下班了, never 还有十分钟快要下班了 — 快要 can’t take a set time.
Why it happens: The “about to” lives in the final 了 — don’t drop it. It’s 他就要结婚了 (“he’s about to get married”), not 他就要结婚.
Why it happens: The 还有 + Time frame leads the sentence; it doesn’t trail at the end. It’s 还有十分钟我就下班了, not 我就下班了还有十分钟.
Compare & contrast
| 就要…了 — can take a set time | 快要…了 — general, no set time | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 还有五分钟就要开会了háiyǒu wǔ fēnzhōng jiù yào kāihuì le | 快要开会了kuài yào kāihuì le | 还有五分钟就要开会了 = “the meeting starts in five minutes” (就要 takes the countdown). 快要开会了 = “the meeting’s about to start” (general — and 还有五分钟快要… is wrong). |
| 还有一个月就要毕业了háiyǒu yí ge yuè jiù yào bìyè le | 快要毕业了kuài yào bìyè le | 还有一个月就要毕业了 = “graduation is a month away.” 快要毕业了 = “about to graduate” — no time pinned. |
Try it yourself
Say “The movie starts in five minutes.” — 还有 + time + subject + 就要 + verb + 了.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
就要 vs 快要: Saying “About To” with a Set Time grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.