来得及 / 来不及: there is still time / it is too late
【四26】固定短语 / phrases
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
来得及 says there is still enough time to do something before it is too late; 来不及 says time is short. They stand alone (现在走还来得及; 来不及了) or come before a verb (来不及吃早饭).
The time pressure is always about one particular job and deadline (the train, the exam, closing time). To say “I have no time” in general, use 没有时间. The negative of 来得及 is 来不及, never 不来得及. In the past, use 没来得及 + verb: 我没来得及吃早饭 (I didn't have time for breakfast).
To warn cautiously that it will be too late, say 恐怕来不及了 (“I'm afraid it's too late”), as in the lesson's dialogue. Register: everyday, mostly spoken.
Examples
现在走还来得及。
Xiànzài zǒu hái láidejí.If we leave now, there is still time.
来不及了，我们快走吧！
Láibují le, wǒmen kuài zǒu ba!There's no time left, let's go!
我来不及吃早饭，就去上班了。
Wǒ láibují chī zǎofàn, jiù qù shàngbān le.I didn't have time for breakfast, so I went straight to work.
三点的飞机，现在去机场来得及吗？
Sān diǎn de fēijī, xiànzài qù jīchǎng láidejí ma?The flight is at three. Can we still make it if we leave for the airport now?
离考试还有一个星期，现在开始复习还来得及。
Lí kǎoshì hái yǒu yí ge xīngqī, xiànzài kāishǐ fùxí hái láidejí.The exam is a week away, so it's not too late to start revising now.
他走得太快，我没来得及跟他说再见。
Tā zǒu de tài kuài, wǒ méi láidejí gēn tā shuō zàijiàn.He left so fast that I didn't have time to say goodbye.
Common mistakes
✗ 我很忙，来不及看电影 → ✓ 我很忙，没有时间看电影 (来不及 needs a task with a deadline; for a busy life, 没有时间).
✗ 我来不及了去机场 → ✓ 我来不及去机场了 (the verb follows 来不及, and 了 closes the sentence).
✗ 现在走不来得及 → ✓ 现在走已经来不及了 (the negative of 来得及 is 来不及).