HSK 4
刚 + V + DURATION
gāng + V + DURATION
have V'ed for just DURATION
Structure
Subject + 刚 + Verb + (Object/Place) + Duration
How it works
This structure is used to express that an action started very recently and has only lasted for a specific, short period of time. It emphasizes that the duration is relatively brief from the speaker's perspective. Unlike the general duration pattern, '刚' is placed before the verb to indicate 'just' or 'recently'.
Examples
我刚学汉语三个月。
Wǒ gāng xué Hànyǔ sān gè yuè.
I have been learning Chinese for just three months.
他们刚结婚一个星期。
Tāmen gāng jiéhūn yí gè xīngqī.
They have been married for only a week.
他刚搬到北京两天。
Tā gāng bāndào Běijīng liǎng tiān.
He just moved to Beijing two days ago / He's only been in Beijing for two days.
Common mistakes
Do not put '刚' after the verb or after the duration; it must precede the verb to function as an adverb meaning 'just'.
Tip
If you want to emphasize that the time is 'only' that long, you can add '才' after the duration, such as: '我刚来三天而已' or '才来三天'.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 刚 + V + DURATION in real Chinese
Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.
Try InputDojo free