HSK 4
差不多 A
chàbuduō A
about A
Structure
Subject + 差不多 (+ Adjective / Number-Measure Word)
How it works
The word '差不多' (chàbuduō) can be used as an adverb meaning 'almost' or 'about' to indicate that a quantity, time, or state is very close to a certain point. When followed by an adjective or a phrase (A), it suggests that the difference is negligible.
Examples
这两个手机的功能差不多一样。
Zhè liǎng gè shǒujī de gōngnéng chàbuduō yīyàng.
The functions of these two phones are almost the same.
我等了你差不多半个小时。
Wǒ děngle nǐ chàbuduō bàn gè xiǎoshí.
I waited for you for about half an hour.
电影差不多要开始了。
Diànyǐng chàbuduō yào kāishǐ le.
The movie is about to start.
Common mistakes
Do not confuse '差不多' with '几乎' (jīhū). While both mean 'almost', '差不多' is more commonly used for quantities and can also be used as an adjective to mean 'similar', whereas '几乎' is strictly an adverb used for unexpected or negative events.
Tip
If you want to say two things are 'similar' without specifying an attribute, you can simply say 'A 和 B 差不多'.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 差不多 A in real Chinese
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