语法 · HSK 3–4
刚 (gāng) vs 刚才 (gāngcái): "just now" in Chinese
刚 is an adverb ("just") that must go directly after the subject and before the verb: 他刚走 "He just left". 刚才 is a time noun ("a moment ago") that can go either before or after the subject, and can be negated with 没: 你刚才去哪儿了？ "Where did you go just now?", 我刚才没听见.
句型Patterns
Subject + 刚 + Verb (+ Duration)Adverb: 我刚到北京两天 "I arrived in Beijing just two days ago".刚才 + Subject + Verb / Subject + 刚才 + VerbTime noun: a few minutes ago.Subject + 刚才 + 没 + VerbNegation uses 刚才 (刚 cannot be negated).
例句Examples
- 他刚从图书馆回来。tā gāng cóng tú shū guǎn huí lái.He has just come back from the library.
- 刚才谁给我打电话了？gāng cái shuí gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà le?Who called me just now?
- 对不起，我刚才没看见你的消息。duì bù qǐ, wǒ gāng cái méi kàn jiàn nǐ de xiāo xi.Sorry, I didn't see your message a moment ago.
- 我刚学中文两个月。wǒ gāng xué zhōng wén liǎng gè yuè.I only started learning Chinese two months ago.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗刚我去超市了。
✓我刚去超市了。 / 刚才我去超市了。
刚 is an adverb and must go after the subject.
-
✗我刚没听清楚。
✓我刚才没听清楚。
刚 cannot be followed by 不 or 没; use 刚才.
重点词语Words in this guide
Common questions
Can 刚 refer to last month or last year?
Yes, if the speaker feels it was very recent: 他上个月刚结婚 "He just got married last month". 刚才 only ever means a few minutes ago.