How to use 刚、刚才
Subject + 刚 + Predicate; 刚才 + Subject + Predicate / Subject + 刚才 + Predicate
刚 emphasizes that an event is recent relative to the relevant situation. It is an adverb placed before the predicate, and the period counted as recent can vary with context. 刚才 instead names a short time before now. As a time expression, it can occur before or after the subject, provided it precedes the main predicate.
刚才 can also modify a noun with 的, referring to the earlier incident or moment. 刚 does not fill that role by itself. Do not use a blanket rule that one always takes 了 and the other never does: aspect depends on the full sentence. Decide first whether you are qualifying the action’s recency or naming a particular earlier time.
Examples with pinyin and English
他刚到。
He just arrived.
我们昨天刚到。
We just arrived yesterday.
真不巧，老板刚走。
What bad timing. The boss just left.
我刚到上海的时候，谁都不认识。
I didn't know anyone when I had just arrived in Shanghai.
我刚才看到他了。
I just now saw him.
What to remember
- 刚 is an adverb before the predicate.
- 刚才 can stand as a time expression.
- 刚才的 can modify a noun.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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