HSK 4
几乎 V
jīhū V
almost
Structure
Subject + 几乎 + Verb / Adjective (+ 了)
How it works
The adverb '几乎' means 'almost' or 'nearly'. It is used to indicate that a situation is very close to happening but did not actually occur, or that a state is very close to a specific level or degree.
Examples
为了赶飞机，他几乎跑了一整路。
Wèile gǎn fēijī, tā jīhū pǎole yī zhěng lù.
In order to catch the plane, he almost ran the whole way.
这个字太难了，我几乎不认识。
Zhège zì tài nán le, wǒ jīhū bù rènshi.
This character is so difficult that I almost don't recognize it.
听到这个好消息，他几乎跳了起来。
Tīng dào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, tā jīhū tiào le qǐlái.
Hearing this good news, he almost jumped up.
Common mistakes
Do not confuse '几乎' with '差不多'. While both mean 'almost', '几乎' is often used for things that almost happened but didn't (negative connotation or narrow escape), while '差不多' is more common for numerical approximations.
Tip
When '几乎' is used with a verb expressing something undesirable (like '忘了' or '迟到'), adding '了' at the end often emphasizes that the event was very close to happening.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 几乎 V in real Chinese
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