3 · Adverbs that carry the grammar
Just now: gāng and gāngcái
the recent past
Gāng is an adverb glued to the verb; gāngcái is a time word for a few minutes ago.
Both words translate as “just”, but they belong to different word classes, and that decides everything. 刚 is an adverb: it stands directly before the verb, after the subject — 我刚到, “I’ve just arrived”. 刚才 is a time word, like 昨天: it can stand before the subject, after it, and even before 的 — 刚才的电话, “the call just now”.
They also measure differently. 刚才 is a few minutes ago at most. 刚 is “recently” from the speaker’s point of view and can stretch to weeks or months: 我刚来北京 can be said by someone who arrived in the spring. That is why 刚, and only 刚, can be followed by a duration: 他刚来三天, “he has only been here three days”.
In the negative and with 了 they part company again. 刚才 behaves like any time word: 我刚才没听见, “I didn’t catch that just now”, 他刚才出去了. 刚 is not negated with 没, and it usually does without a final 了, because “just” already places the event.
The form
| just (adverb) | 我刚到。 |
| only so long ago | 他刚来三天。 |
| a moment ago | 刚才有人找你。 |
| before the subject | 刚才你去哪儿了？ |
| before a noun | 刚才的那个人是谁？ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
刚 is an adverb: it stands directly before the verb, after the subject.
我刚下班。I’ve just finished work.
刚才 is a time word: it can stand before the subject and before 的.
刚才你说什么？What did you just say?
刚才 can be negated with 没; 刚 cannot.
我刚才没听见。I didn’t catch that just now.
刚 can be followed by a duration: how short a time ago something began.
我们刚认识一个月。We only met a month ago.
刚才 takes 了 freely; 刚 usually does without it.
他刚才出去了。He went out a moment ago.
A closer look
Gānggāng, and how recent “just” is
刚刚 is the doubled form and can do both jobs: it stands before the verb like 刚, and it can mean “a moment ago” like 刚才. It is common in speech when the speaker wants to stress how fresh something is: 我刚刚到, “I’ve literally just got here”.
The question to ask when choosing is whether you are pointing at a moment on the clock or describing how new a situation is. A moment on the clock — the phone rang, someone called, you said something — is 刚才. A new situation — a new job, a new city, a new habit — is 刚.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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刚 stands before 好, 合适 or 够
it means “exactly, just right”, not “recently”.
这双鞋我穿刚合适。These shoes fit me just right.
The older meaning of 刚 is “barely, precisely”; the time meaning grew from it. 刚好 is now one word.
How to spot it
- 刚
- 刚才
- 刚刚
- 刚…就
Example sentences
我刚吃完饭，不饿。I’ve just eaten — I’m not hungry.
刚才的事真对不起。I’m really sorry about what happened just now.
他刚从国外回来。He has just come back from abroad.
刚才有一位先生来找过你。A gentleman came looking for you a moment ago.
我刚来的时候，一个人也不认识。When I’d just arrived, I didn’t know a single person.
这条裤子是我刚买的。I’ve only just bought these trousers.
7 more example sentences
我刚给你发了一条短信。I’ve just sent you a text message.
刚才外面很吵，现在安静了。It was noisy outside a moment ago; now it’s quiet.
孩子刚睡着，你小点儿声。The baby has just fallen asleep — keep your voice down.
你刚才为什么不说？Why didn’t you say so just now?
他刚开始学中文。He has just started learning Chinese.
刚才我在洗澡，没听到电话。I was in the shower just now and didn’t hear the phone.
我刚刚知道这个消息。I’ve only just heard the news.
Worth knowing (1)
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No sooner … than: gāng … jiù
刚 in the first clause and 就 in the second say that the second thing followed the first almost at once — usually something unwelcome. It is close to 一…就, but with a stronger sense of “I had barely …”.
我刚出门，就下雨了。I had barely left the house when it started to rain.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “just” is one word, so learners reach for the shorter one. But 刚 is an adverb and has to sit between the subject and the verb. In front of the subject only the time word 刚才 will do — the same slot where 昨天 or 今天 can stand.
Gāng is an adverb glued to the verb; gāngcái is a time word that goes wherever a time word goes.
Your turn
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