กำลังจะ

About to

Level 2

Use กำลังจะ (kam-lang jà) before an action or state to mean 'about to'. The context tells you whether the speaker means 'is about to' or 'was about to'.

How It Works

In Thai, กำลังจะ functions as an immediate future aspect marker. It is used to indicate that the start of an action or a change of state is imminent or very close.

Key Characteristics:

Placement: Place it before the action or state being described.
Immediate Timing: Unlike the general future marker จะ, which can refer to any time in the future, กำลังจะ presents the event as about to happen. The surrounding situation supplies the time reference.
Versatility: It is used with both action verbs (like 'go' or 'eat') and stative verbs or adjectives (like 'late' or 'better') to show a state is about to change.
Past Context: While often translated as 'am about to', it can also mean 'was about to' if the context is set in the past. Thai verbs do not change form for tense.

Common Variations:
In spoken Thai, you will often hear แล้ว added to the end of the sentence (กำลังจะ...แล้ว). This adds emphasis, similar to saying "It's already about to happen!"

Examples (6)

รถกำลังจะออก
The car is about to leave.
Word by Word: car + [about to] + leave
The car has not yet left; the speaker presents its departure as imminent.
ฝนกำลังจะตก
It is about to rain.
Word by Word: rain + [about to] + fall
Used when the sky is dark and rain is imminent.
เรากำลังจะสายแล้ว
We are about to be late!
Word by Word: we + [about to] + late + [already]
This shows the pattern used with an adjective (late) to indicate an imminent change of state.
เขากำลังจะไปทำงาน
He is about to go to work.
Word by Word: he + [about to] + go + work
The sentence says he is about to go to work. It does not specify what preparations he is making.
อาการกำลังจะดีขึ้น
The symptoms are about to get better.
Word by Word: symptom + [about to] + good + up
The speaker expects the symptoms to improve soon; this does not say that the improvement is already underway.
ผมกำลังจะโทรหาคุณพอดี
I was just about to call you.
Word by Word: I (male) + [about to] + call + find + you + just right
The past English translation fits a past situation. In a present situation, this can mean 'I am just about to call you.' พอดี emphasizes the coincidence or exact timing.

How It Connects

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กำลังจะLevel 2About to

Learn This First

The pattern 'กำลังจะ' is a compound of the continuous marker 'กำลัง' and the future marker 'จะ'. To understand how it describes an action on the verge of happening, you first need to be familiar with how these two markers function individually to indicate ongoing and future actions respectively.

Words in This Pattern