HSK 4
差不多 V
chàbuduō V
about V'ed
Structure
Subject + 差不多 + Verb + Result/Complement
How it works
In this structure, '差不多' (chàbuduō) acts as an adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'. It is used before a verb stack to indicate that an action is very close to completion or that a state is nearly reached.
Examples
作业差不多写完了。
Zuòyè chàbuduō xiě wán le.
The homework is almost finished.
行李差不多收拾好了。
Xínglǐ chàbuduō shōushi hǎo le.
The luggage is almost packed.
天色差不多要黑了。
Tiānsè chàbuduō yào hēi le.
It is almost getting dark.
Common mistakes
Placement error: Users often place '差不多' after the verb. It must come before the verb when acting as an adverb.
Tip
When '差不多' precedes a verb, it is almost always followed by a resultative complement (like 完, 好, or 到了) to show how close the action is to finishing.
More HSK 4 grammar
See 差不多 V in real Chinese
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