Comparing "cai" and "jiu"

Nível: HSK 3 | Categoria: Gramática

Explicação da Regra:

Both 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù) are adverbs that have to do with expressing time, and they are both placed before verbs. However, they typically have opposite effects on the tone of the sentence, with 才 (cái) implying a sense of lateness, and 就 (jiù) 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. Subj. + Time Word + 才 + Verb 才 can also mean "only" in the sense of a small quantity.

Exemplos com Falantes Nativos:

• 我等了两个小时才买到票。 (wǒ děng le liǎng gè xiǎoshí cái mǎidào piào 。): "I waited two hours before buying the ticket."
• 老板十一点才到办公室。 (lǎobǎn shíyī diǎn cái dào bàngōngshì 。): "The boss arrived at the office at eleven o'clock."
• 这个项目最少要花两个月才能做完。 (zhègè xiàngmù zùishǎo yào huā liǎng gè yuè cái néng zuò wán 。): "This project will take at least two months to complete."
• 我们有这么多人，你才点了三个菜。 (wǒmen yǒu zhèyāo duō rén，nǐ cái diǎn le sān gè cài 。): "We have so many people, you just ordered three dishes."
• 我买了这么多东西，才花了五百块。 (wǒ mǎi le zhèyāo duō dōngxī，cái huā le wǔ bǎi kuài 。): "I bought so many things, it only cost 500 yuan."

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