How 就 and 才 Are Used With Respect to Time
In Q2 we covered using 就 to create emphasis. But y‘all are crazy smart and already locked down 就 with different meanings in different contexts. Today, we are going to teach you one more usage of 就 and introduce you to a new super sexy word, 才. In this class, we will learn how to use 就 and 才 to express time.
First, let's try to internalize that 就 and 才 typically have opposite effects on the tone of the sentence, with 才 implying a sense of lateness, and 就 imparting a sense of earliness.
才 indicates that the speaker feels that the events discussed happened LATER than expected. Sometimes it also expresses anxiety, impatience, anger, or other related emotions. 才 can often be translated as either "until". |
就 indicates that something has occurred EARLIER than the speaker expected. There may be an accompanying feeling of surprise or amazement. In this structure,了 is always proceeded by 就. |
Subj.+ Time Phrase + 才+ verb | Subj. + Time Phrase + 就 + Verb +Obj+了. |
Wǒ de tóngshì xiàwǔ 4 diǎn cái gěi wǒ tā de bàogào. 我的同事下午4点才给我他的报告。 |
Wǒ shàngwǔ 8 diǎn jiù gěi tā wǒ de bàogào le. |
Nǐ zěnme zhème wǎn cái dào gōngsī? 你怎么这么晚才到公司? |
Tā zěnme nàme zǎo jiù dào gōngsī le? 他怎么那么早就到公司了? How come he came to the company that early?! (I am surprised he came to the company very early.) |
Tā bàba 50 suì cái kāishǐ xué zhōngwén. 他爸爸50岁才开始学中文。 |
Tā 5 suì jiù kāishǐ xué zhōngwén le. 他5岁就开始学中文了。 His has started learning Chinese when he was 5. (He learned Chinese very early) |
Tā zhège yuè cái zhǎodào gōngzuò. |
Tā 3 gè yuè yǐqián jiù zhǎodào gōngzuò le. 他3个月以前就找到工作了。 He found a job 3 months ago. (He found a job very early) |
Note: From the sentences given, you might find Time Phrase could be 4pm, 50 years old, 3 months ago.