就嚟

About to Happen

Level 2Sounds Like zau6 lai4

就嚟 (zau6 lai4 / zau6 lei4) means 'about to' or 'almost' in spoken Cantonese. Place it directly before a verb, adjective, or time expression. It very frequently pairs with the sentence-final particle 喇 (laa3) to highlight an imminent change of state.

How It Works

1. Core Function and Scope
就嚟 (zau6 lai4, often pronounced zau6 lei4) is an everyday colloquial adverb used to express prospective action or state—meaning something is on the verge of happening. Unlike English 'about to', which usually takes a verb, 就嚟 works flexibly across three main contexts:

  • Verbs/Actions: 就嚟落雨 (about to rain), 就嚟走 (about to leave).
  • Adjectives/States: 就嚟搞掂 (almost done), 就嚟飽死 (about to burst from eating).
  • Quantities/Time/Ages: 就嚟十點 (almost 10 o'clock), 就嚟三十歲 (almost 30 years old).

2. Pairing with Sentence-Final 喇 (laa3)
Because 就嚟 indicates that a new situation is imminent, native speakers overwhelmingly pair it with the change-of-state particle 喇 (laa3) at the end of the sentence (forming 就嚟…喇). This creates a complete frame meaning 'about to [X] now'.

3. Important Structural Rules
• Adverbial Position: Place 就嚟 directly in front of the verb or predicate. It cannot take aspect markers like 咗 (zo2) or 緊 (gan2) directly attached to itself.
• Not a Motion Verb: Although 嚟 (lai4) by itself means 'to come' (嚟), in 就嚟 it has completely merged into a compound adverb. It can be used for actions moving away (e.g., 佢就嚟走喇 = He is about to leave).
• Cannot Modify Nouns Directly: You cannot use 就嚟 as an adjective before a noun (e.g., you cannot say *就嚟嘅星期五 for 'upcoming Friday'). Use 嚟緊 (lai4 gan2) for upcoming events before nouns.

4. Cantonese vs. Mandarin Nuance
In Mandarin, learners often use 就要 (jiù yào) for 'about to'. In Cantonese, 就要 often means 'then [one] must' (e.g., 唔做就要罰 = If you don't do it, then you must be punished). Although 就要 is also heard for 'about to', 就嚟 or its close synonym 就快 (zau6 faai3) is the safer everyday choice.

Examples (4)

  1. 就嚟落雨喇，快啲返屋企啦！

    It's about to rain, hurry home!

    Word by Word: Almost come rain [particle], fast a-bit return home [particle]!

    Notice the classic 就嚟...喇 frame indicating that rain is imminent.

  2. 我就嚟搞掂喇，等我一陣。

    I'm almost finished, wait for me a moment.

    Word by Word: I almost handle-settle [particle], wait me one-moment.

    Here 就嚟 modifies the stative predicate 搞掂 (finished/done).

  3. 佢就嚟三十歲喇。

    He is almost thirty years old.

    Word by Word: He almost thirty years-old [particle].

    就嚟 can be used directly before age or time expressions.

  4. 火車就嚟到喇，準備落車啦。

    The train is about to arrive, get ready to get off.

    Word by Word: Train almost arrive [particle], prepare get-off car [particle].

    Used with the action verb 到 (arrive) to signal arrival is seconds away.

Common Mistakes

  • Thinking 就要 cannot mean 'about to'.

    Different Meaning佢就要走喇。
    佢就嚟走喇。

    佢就要走喇 is natural and means 'he is about to leave'. 就嚟 (zau6 lai4) and 就快 (zau6 faai3) say the same. 就要 can also mean 'then must', depending on the sentence.

  • Trying to modify a noun directly with 就嚟.

    我哋就嚟嘅星期五去睇戲。
    我哋嚟緊嘅星期五去睇戲。

    就嚟 is a pre-verbal adverb, not an adjectival modifier. To say 'upcoming' before a noun, use 嚟緊 (lai4 gan2) instead.

  • Combining 就嚟 with 咗.

    佢就嚟去咗日本。
    佢就嚟去日本喇。

    就嚟 (zau6 lai4) looks ahead to something about to happen, so a completed 咗 (zo2) clashes with it. 嚟 has lost its meaning of 'coming' here, so 就嚟 combines freely with verbs like 去 (go): 佢就嚟去日本喇.

How It Connects

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就嚟Level 2About to Happen

Learn This First

To understand '就嚟' (about to happen), you need to know how to structure basic sentences and how the particle '喇' marks a change in situation, as these two frequently appear together to signal that something is just about to occur.

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