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HSK 2 Time Adverbs: 还, 已经, 有时(候), 快, 快要, and 正
Mandarin does not conjugate verbs for tense. Time adverbs help locate an action or state: 还 can mean “still”, 已经 “already”, 有时(候) “sometimes”, 快 and 快要 “soon/about to”, and 正 “in progress”. They work with context and aspect markers; 已经 does not by itself mean that an activity has finished.
弟弟还在房间里睡觉。
Here 还 (hái) indicates that the action of sleeping started earlier and continues now.
× 下个星期一他快要回北京了。
Incorrect: 快要...了 (and 快...了) cannot be modified by a specific future time noun like 下个星期一 ('next Monday').
Corrected example: 下个星期一他要回北京了。
Read the full explanation and examples
Core Word Order for Time Adverbs
In the basic clauses here, these adverbs precede the predicate they relate to, often after the subject. This is not a requirement to sit immediately after the subject: other adverbials or modal verbs may intervene.
有时(候) can naturally open a clause before the subject. For the other words, learn the subject–adverb–predicate pattern first; larger sentences can place an adverb before a clause it relates to, as in 已经三点了. Do not turn the beginner pattern into a universal rule about every subject.
Continuing vs. Already True: 还 (hái) and 已经 (yǐjīng)
The label 还2 in the syllabus distinguishes the temporal meaning 'still' from its additive meaning 'also' or 'in addition'. As a time adverb, 还 shows that a previous state or action remains unchanged at the reference time.
弟弟还在房间里睡觉。
Here 还 (hái) indicates that the action of sleeping started earlier and continues now.
When paired with 没 (méi) or 没有 (méiyǒu), 还 forms the standard pattern for 'not yet'. It implies that while the action has not happened up to now, it is still expected to happen later.
我还没看那本书。
Combining 还 with 没 expresses that an expected action has not happened up to the present moment.
已经 means that a situation is already true by the reference time. It may be a completed event, an ongoing activity (已经在下雨了, “It is already raining”), or a state. Sentence-final 了 often accompanies it to present a change, but is not obligatory in every sentence.
她已经回家了。
已经 pairs naturally with sentence-final 了 to mark a completed transition.
Occasional Habits vs. Right Now: 有时(候) and 正
有时 (yǒushí) and 有时候 (yǒushíhou) both mean 'sometimes' and describe intermittent habits or occasional situations. 有时候 is slightly more common in everyday conversation, while 有时 is more compact and common in written or brisk spoken Chinese. Both can sit after the subject or at the very start of the clause.
我有时候去图书馆看书。
有时候 placed in the standard adverbial position between the subject and the verb.
有时他坐公共汽车上班。
有时 placed before the subject to frame the whole clause.
正 focuses on an action in progress at the reference moment. In 老师正和学生说话呢, 和学生 is a prepositional phrase before 说话. An ordinary direct object still follows its verb: 正看书. 呢 can reinforce the ongoing situation but is optional.
老师正和学生说话呢。
正 pinpoints an action in progress at the moment of speaking, reinforced by sentence-final 呢.
Imminent Future and Key Limits: 快 (kuài) and 快要 (kuàiyào)
When 快 (kuài) and 快要 (kuàiyào) function as time adverbs before a verb, they mean 'soon' or 'about to'. They almost always pair with sentence-final 了 (le) to signal an imminent change of state.
电影快开始了。
快...了 signals that the starting time is imminent.
天快要下雨了。
快要...了 works like 快...了 to mark an impending change of state.
For an ordinary scheduled future event with a stated date, prefer 要 or 就要: 下个星期一他要回北京了. Avoid attaching a scheduling phrase directly to the beginner 快要 + event pattern. This is different from the predicate itself naming an approaching time or quantity, as in 快要八点了 (“It is almost eight”).
× 下个星期一他快要回北京了。
Incorrect: 快要...了 (and 快...了) cannot be modified by a specific future time noun like 下个星期一 ('next Monday').
Corrected example: 下个星期一他要回北京了。
下个星期一他要回北京了。
Correct replacement: use 要...了 without 快 when a specific future time phrase is present.
Quick Reference Summary
- 还 (hái): ongoing state ('still') or unfulfilled expectation with 没 ('not yet').
- 已经 (yǐjīng): a situation already true by the reference time, including an ongoing activity or state; 了 is common but not obligatory.
- 有时 / 有时候 (yǒushí / yǒushíhou): occasional frequency ('sometimes'); can precede or follow the subject.
- 正 (zhèng): action in progress at a specific moment ('right in the middle of'), often paired with 呢.
- 快 / 快要: an approaching event in the ...了 pattern. Distinguish a scheduled date before the clause from an approaching time or quantity inside the predicate.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the syllabus write 还2 with a number?
In the HSK outline, numbered entries separate distinct meanings or uses of the same character. Here, 还2 specifies the time adverb meaning 'still' (or 'not yet' in 还没), separating it from the additive meaning 'also / in addition'.
Is there a difference between 快...了 and 快要...了?
Both commonly express that a change is approaching. 快 is also very common directly before an age, time, or quantity expression, such as 快八点了. 快要八点了 is also possible; it is not correct to ban 快要 before every quantity phrase. Keep this separate from a scheduling phrase such as 下个星期一 before an event clause.
Can I use 有时 and 有时候 interchangeably?
Yes. Both mean 'sometimes' and follow the same word order rules. 有时候 is slightly more conversational, whereas the two-syllable 有时 feels slightly more concise.
