就要...了 (about to)

• Pinyin: jiù yào
• Formation: (Subject +) (Time +) 就要 + Verb + 了
• Hanzi breakdown: 就 = 京 (capital) + 尢 (lame); 要 = 西 (west) + 女 (woman)

Meaning

The pattern 就要...了 (jiù yào...le) expresses that something is about to happen very soon. It conveys a sense of imminence, similar to 'be about to' or 'be going to (very soon)' in English.

就要...了 emphasizes that an event is approaching rapidly and often carries a tone of anticipation, urgency, or emotional readiness. A specific time phrase can be placed before 就要 to state exactly when the event will occur, such as 明天就要走了. This pattern is stronger and more immediate than 要...了 alone, because 就 adds a sense of 'as soon as' or 'right away.' Compare with 快要...了, which stresses speed of approach, while 就要...了 can be paired with a definite time. Note that 快要 cannot take a specific time word before it, but 就要 can.

Examples

1. 火车就要开了，我们快走吧。 The train is about to depart, let's hurry.
2. 她下个月就要结婚了。 She's getting married next month.
3. 考试就要开始了，大家安静。 The exam is about to start, everyone be quiet.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: anticipatory

Do Say

• 飞机就要起飞了，请系好安全带。
• 春节就要到了，你买好年货了吗？
• 他们下周就要搬到新房子了。

Don't Say

• 快要明天考试了。(快要 cannot be preceded by a specific time word — use 就要 instead when specifying a definite time) → 明天就要考试了。
• 火车就要开。(The sentence-final 了 is required to complete the imminent-future pattern — without it the sentence is grammatically incomplete) → 火车就要开了。
• 我就要了去北京。(了 must come at the end of the sentence, not between 就要 and the verb) → 我就要去北京了。

Origin & History

就 originally meant 'to approach' or 'to go toward,' and 要 means 'to want' or 'will.' Combined with sentence-final 了, the pattern grammaticalized into a near-future marker indicating imminent events, widely used across all registers of modern Mandarin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal