就 / Essence of Mandarin

 

 
 
_THIS IS A TESTING BETA VERSION OF THE SITE_
 

Condition (or action) A is fulfilled, action B follows

In the first part of a sentence we say what was, is or needs to be fulfilled, so that action B in the second part of a sentence can take place.

In the second sentence with 就 /jiù/ we say what action followed or will follow.

EXAMPLES

Good music often isn’t “love at the first hearing”.
好 的 音乐 常常 不 是 你 第一次 听 就 喜欢。
Hǎo de yīnyuè chángcháng bùshì nǐ dì yī cì tīng jiù xǐhuan.
You can go to play after you finish your homework.
你 完成 你的 作业， 就 可以 去 玩。
Nǐ wánchéng nǐ de zuòyè, jiù kěyǐ qù wán.
成 BECOME
After I finish drinking this tea, I’m going to have a class.
我 喝 了 这个 茶，就 要 去 上课。
<Wǒ hē le zhège chá, jiù yào qù shàngkè.>
You just directly scan QR code with your phone and that's it!
你 直接 用 手机 扫描 二维码, 就 行 了！
Nǐ zhíjiē yòng shǒujī sǎomiáo èrwéimǎ, jiù xíng le!
PAYING
When one lacks self-confidence, then he (she) can't solve complex problems.
缺乏 自信 就 无法 解决 复杂 的 问题。
Quēfá zìxìn jiù wúfǎ jiějué fùzá de wèntí.
WORDS 信 SIMPLE - COMPLICATED
After we finish the class we will go to work.
我们 下 了 课 就 要 去 上班。
Wǒmen xià le kè jiù yào qù shàngbān.
UP AND DOWN

 

Time passed, action follows

In the first part of the sentence we say how long time is needed for the action to take place.

Second part with 就 /jiù/ tells us what action will follow after the time is fulfilled.

EXAMPLES

It takes ten minutes to get there.
十 分钟 就 到 了。
Shí fēnzhōng jiù dào le.
TO ARRIVE

 

Space passed, action follows

In the first part of the sentence we say how long space needs to be crossed.

Second part with 就 /jiù/ tells us what action will follow after the space is crossed.

EXAMPLES

100 metres and (you) are there.
一百 米 就 到 了。
Yībǎi mǐ jiù dào le.
TO ARRIVE

 

Emphasis

EXAMPLES

I’ve known this for a long time that this is an old traditional concept.
我 早 就 知道 这 是 旧的 传统 观念。
Wǒ zǎo jiù zhīdào zhè shì jiù de chuántǒng guānniàn.
NEW - OLD
I'm (just) loving it! - slogan of McDonald's
我 就 喜欢！
Wǒ jiù xǐhuan!
We entered the information age long time ago.
我们 早就 进入 了 信息 时代。
Wǒmen zǎo jiù jìnrù le xìnxī shídài.
WORDS 信 TO ENTER

被 / “BY
让 / LET ME MAKE YOU ANGRY
GRAMMAR
MATERIALS