Chinese Time Adverbs — 时间副词 正在/已经/马上/刚刚/快…了

Time adverbs (时间副词 shíjiān fùcí) tell you WHEN an action happens, relative to the present moment. The core set is: 正在 (in the middle of), 已经 (already), 马上 (about to), 刚刚/刚才 (just now), and 快…了 (soon).

They sit BEFORE the verb and often pair with the particle 了 or 呢 to signal a change or an ongoing state. Unlike English, Chinese does not inflect verbs for tense, so these small words carry the whole idea of past, present, and future timing.

They are everywhere in HSK 1–3 speech: 我正在吃饭 (I am eating), 我已经吃完了 (I have finished), 我马上就来 (I am coming right away), 我刚刚到家 (I just got home), 快到了 (almost there).

正在 (zhèngzài) marks an action in progress: 我正在吃饭 (I am eating), 他正在打电话 (he is making a phone call), 妈妈正在做饭 (mom is cooking).

You can shorten 正在 to 在: 我在看书 (I am reading), 他在睡觉 (he is sleeping). In speech, 在 alone is far more common; 正在 adds a bit more emphasis.

Add 呢 (ne) at the end for a casual, lively feel: 我正在吃饭呢 (I am eating right now). The 在…呢 pattern is very natural in spoken Chinese.

已经 (yǐjīng) marks a completed state: 我已经吃完了 (I have already finished eating), 他已经下班了 (he has already left work), 我已经到了 (I have already arrived).

已经 often pairs with 了 to confirm completion, but it can also modify a state without 了: 我已经很累了 (I am already very tired).

Negate with 还没 (not yet) instead of 没已经: 我还没吃饭 (I have not eaten yet) — this pairs perfectly with 已经 (我已经吃了 vs 我还没吃).

马上 (mǎshàng) means "right away / about to": 我马上就来 (I am coming right away), 马上就下雨了 (it is about to rain), 会议马上开始 (the meeting starts soon).

就要…了 (jiù yào … le) also means "about to": 我就要出发了 (I am about to set off), 他就要回国了 (he is about to return to his country).

Both express imminent future. 马上 can stand alone before a verb, while 就要…了 needs the closing 了 to complete the "about to" meaning.

刚刚 (gānggāng) and 刚才 (gāngcái) both mean "just now": 我刚刚到家 (I just got home), 他刚才给你打电话了 (he just called you).

刚刚 (and its short form 刚) is an adverb placed before the verb and stresses that the action just happened: 我刚吃完饭 (I just finished eating).

刚才 is more like a time word that can also start the sentence: 刚才你在哪儿？ (where were you just now?). 刚刚 focuses on the action being fresh; 刚才 points to the moment itself.

快…了 (kuài … le) means "soon / almost": 快到了 (almost there), 快下雨了 (it is about to rain), 饭快好了 (the food is almost ready).

The pattern is 快 + verb/adjective + 了, and the closing 了 is required: 快八点了 (it is almost 8 o'clock), 天快黑了 (it is getting dark soon).

It works with both verbs and adjectives, and it is one of the most common ways to talk about things that are about to happen in daily speech.

Time adverbs go BEFORE the verb or adjective: 我正在吃饭, 已经吃完了, 马上就来, 刚刚到家, 快到了.

已经 and 快…了 need the particle 了 to mark completion or imminent change; 正在 often pairs with 呢 for an ongoing feel; 马上 and 刚刚 usually do not take 了 (though 刚刚…了 is fine when the action is already done).

Remember that time adverbs answer WHEN, while frequency adverbs answer HOW OFTEN: 我已经吃完了 (time) vs 我经常吃完 (frequency) — see the frequency-adverbs guide for that contrast.

Do not drop the closing 了 in 就要…了 or 快…了: 快到了 (almost there) is correct, but 快到 alone sounds incomplete.

Do not use 正在 with 了 to mark a completed action: 我正在吃饭 (I am eating) vs 我已经吃完了 (I have finished) — they are opposite ends of the timing.

Do not confuse 刚刚 (just now, before the verb) with 刚才 (the moment just now, can start the sentence): 我刚吃完饭 vs 刚才我在吃饭.

Negate 已经 with 还没 (not yet), not 没已经: 我还没吃完饭 (I have not finished yet).

Do not place the time adverb after the verb: 我吃饭正在 is wrong — it must be 我正在吃饭.