快要…了 / 就要…了: about to, soon
动作的态 / aspect (将来)
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
(快)要 / 快 / 就要 + Verb / Noun + 了
To say something is about to happen, wrap the verb (or noun) in 快要…了, 快…了 or 就要…了. The final 了 is required.
快…了 can apply directly to a time noun: 快春节了 (Spring Festival is almost here).
就要…了 can be used with a specific time: 明天就要放假了. By contrast, ✗ 明天快要放假了 is wrong: 快要 doesn't combine with a precise time expression.
Examples
快要过年了！
Kuài yào guò nián le!New Year is coming soon!
快十二点了，我们走吧。
Kuài shíèr diǎn le, wǒmen zǒu ba.It's almost twelve, let's go.
下个星期就要放假了。
Xià ge xīngqī jiù yào fàngjià le.The holidays start next week.
火车快要开了，快上车！
Huǒchē kuài yào kāi le, kuài shàng chē!The train's about to leave, get on quickly!
Common mistakes
✗ 快要过年 (without 了) → ✓ 快要过年了.
✗ 下个星期快要放假了 → ✓ 下个星期就要放假了.