# HSK 2 Grammar: Correlative Adverbs 再 (zài) and 就 (jiù) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2-adverbs-22c1f90f71 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-2-adverbs-22c1f90f71 HSK levels: 2 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:37.344Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to link sequential and conditional clauses in Mandarin using the correlative adverbs 再 (zài) and 就 (jiù), including word order rules and contrasts. Grammar [HSK 2 · Word classes › Adverbs › Linking adverbs](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-2#hsk-2-g019) # Connecting Actions with Correlative Adverbs: 再 (zài) and 就 (jiù) In the HSK 2 grammar outline, 再 (zài) and 就 (jiù) are grouped under correlative adverbs (关联副词). Both link two clauses or verb phrases to show how one event follows or depends on another, but they highlight different relationships and require strict placement after the subject. Subject 先 First Action ， 再 Second Action Example sentence 请先洗手，再吃饭。 qǐng xiān xǐshǒu , zài chīfàn . Please wash your hands first, and then eat. Correct: 先 (xiān) and 再 (zài) pair to give a polite, step-by-step instruction. A common mistake × 雨停了，就我们去公园。 yǔ tíng le , jiù wǒmen qù gōngyuán . Intended: When the rain stops, we will go to the park. Incorrect for “then we will go”: place the stated subject before the linking 就, as in 雨停了，我们就去公园。 The order 就我们 can have a different “only we” reading. Corrected example: 雨停了，我们就去公园。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What Are Correlative Adverbs in This Outline? In the Level 2 grammar outline, 再2 (zài) and 就1 (jiù) are classified as correlative adverbs (关联副词). Unlike English conjunctions that often sit at the very front of a clause before the subject, Chinese correlative adverbs sit inside the predicate right before the verb or modal verb, yet their grammatical job is to link two actions or clauses into a logical sequence or condition. The numeric subscripts in the syllabus (再2 and 就1) indicate that this lesson focuses specifically on their clause-linking functions, rather than other uses such as simple repetition ('one more') or restriction ('only'). Note that the Level 2 label refers to the supplied 2025-11 syllabus outline and does not by itself confirm which exam version is administered at a given test center. ## Using 再 (zài) for Planned Sequences and Prerequisites When used as a correlative adverb, 再 (zài) indicates that a second action takes place only after a first action is finished. It presents the two actions as a deliberate, orderly sequence ('first do A, and then do B') or treats the first action as a necessary prerequisite before moving on to the second. Subject 先 First Action ， 再 Second Action It very frequently pairs with 先 (xiān, first) in the opening clause, though 先 can be omitted when the first clause ends with 了 (le) or clearly sets a prerequisite condition. Because this pattern expresses an intentional plan, suggestion, or habitual order of steps, it is standard in instructions and future arrangements. 请先洗手，再吃饭。 qǐng xiān xǐshǒu , zài chīfàn . Please wash your hands first, and then eat. Correct: 先 (xiān) and 再 (zài) pair to give a polite, step-by-step instruction. 我想问清楚了再买。 wǒ xiǎng wèn qīngchu le zài mǎi . I want to ask and make sure first before buying. Correct: 再 (zài) marks the second action (buying) as happening only after the prerequisite action (asking clearly) is completed. ## Using 就 (jiù) for Immediate Sequences and Direct Results 就 links a following event to an earlier event or condition. It can suggest a quick sequence, but in conditional sentences it mainly marks the expected connection or consequence. It does not by itself guarantee that the result is instantaneous, automatic, or inevitable. 再 instead often foregrounds the order of steps. First Event / Condition ， Subject 就 Immediate Next Event / Result Unlike correlative 再 (zài), which generally points to uncompleted, habitual, or planned steps, correlative 就 (jiù) works equally well in past narratives ('as soon as A happened, B happened') and in future/conditional statements ('if/once A happens, B will happen'). 哥哥吃了早饭就去学校了。 gēge chī le zǎofàn jiù qù xuéxiào le . My older brother went to school right after eating breakfast. Correct: 就 (jiù) links two completed past actions to show that the second happened immediately after the first. 你往左走，就能看见书店。 nǐ wǎng zuǒ zǒu , jiù néng kànjiàn shūdiàn . Walk to the left, and you will be able to see the bookstore. Correct: 就 (jiù) introduces the direct result that follows from the first action. ## Key Contrasts and a Common Word-Order Pitfall - Pacing and focus: 再 often highlights “do A first, then B”. 就 can highlight close succession or a consequence of A; a conditional consequence need not occur with zero delay. - Time reference: Correlative 再 (zài) is normally used for plans, instructions, or general routines. Correlative 就 (jiù) can also narrate completed one-time past sequences. - In the basic two-clause patterns here, put an expressed second-clause subject before the linking adverb and keep the adverb before its associated predicate. Other elements may intervene. A modal can also precede 再, as in 可以再问; do not require both adverbs to sit immediately after every subject or before every modal. If you intend “then we go”, use 我们就去. 就我们去 can instead focus on “only we go”, so it does not express the intended sequence in the error example. Distinguish an unintended reading from a claim that the same word order is impossible in every context. × 雨停了，就我们去公园。 yǔ tíng le , jiù wǒmen qù gōngyuán . Intended: When the rain stops, we will go to the park. Incorrect for “then we will go”: place the stated subject before the linking 就, as in 雨停了，我们就去公园。 The order 就我们 can have a different “only we” reading. Corrected example: 雨停了，我们就去公园。 雨停了，我们就去公园。 yǔ tíng le , wǒmen jiù qù gōngyuán . When the rain stops, we will go to the park. Correct for the intended sequence: 我们 is the subject, followed later by 就 and the predicate 去公园. For the intended linking meaning, keep an expressed subject before 再 or 就. The adverb need not be immediately adjacent to that subject; identify the predicate it relates to. ## Frequently asked questions **Why does the syllabus write 再2 and 就1 with numbers?** In the HSK syllabus, sense numbers separate different grammatical meanings of the same character. Here, 再2 and 就1 point specifically to their use as correlative adverbs (关联副词) that connect clauses or verb phrases in a sequence or condition, distinguishing them from other senses taught separately. **Can I swap 再 (zài) and 就 (jiù) in a future sequence?** Sometimes both work, with a different focus. 再 foregrounds the order or prerequisite. 就 highlights a close connection or expected consequence; this may be immediate in a sequence, but is not automatically instantaneous in every conditional statement. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 389](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=389) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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