刚 (gāng) and 刚才 (gāngcái) are similar, but they differ on a few key uses. 刚 as "Just happened" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 刚 is actually an adverb, and it is placed in front of the verb. It emphasizes that the action *just* happened a short time ago. It is similar to the English "just." 刚刚 and 刚 are interchangeable in this case. The key here is that a short time ago is relative and determined by the speaker. For this reason, 刚 can indicate that something "just" happened 1 second ago, 5 minutes ago, 2 hours ago, 3 weeks ago, or even a year ago. The absolute time is flexible, but from the speaker's perspective, it *feels* recent. ### 刚 before An Verb A few examples: It would be wrong to use 刚才 instead: And if you mean to say "When I first arrived in Shanghai," use 刚 instead of 刚才: ### 刚 before An Adjective 刚, as an adverb, can also be placed in front of the verb, while 刚才 can't be used this way. A few examples: 刚才 as "Just Now" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 刚才 is a [time noun](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Time_noun) (like 今天 and 现在), and it expresses that the time that has passed is really short, in near-absolute terms. We're talking no more than 1-30 minutes, in most situations. If it is placed before the verb, it emphasizes what happened in the time that has just passed. It is similar to the English "**just now**." A few examples: 刚才, as a time noun, can directly modify a noun to indicate it is that one from "just now" or "just before," while 刚 can't be used this way. 刚 and 刚才 with 了 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You may have noticed that something interesting is going on with regards to [了](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%BA%86) in the sentences with 刚 and 刚才. Namely, 了 is not usually required in sentences with 刚, but it is usually required in sentences with 刚才. This is because 刚才 refers to a time in the recent past, and you're usually indicated that something happened just now (started and finished). Take these sentences for example: So these are all simple time "subject + verb" sentences. Notice that when they refer to the *past* (including the one with 刚才), the action is completed and you need 了. You don't need 了 for things that haven't happened yet (they're just plans, and nothing is completed). And remember that 刚才 *always refers to the past.* OK, now what about 刚? Why does it not need 了? The key is that you don't need a 了 in a sentence with 刚 if the verb indicates a clear result. So, to use the 看 example from above: A few more examples: 刚 and 刚才 with 没 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK, so there's also something going on with [没](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E6%B2%A1) in sentences with 刚 and 刚才. The deal here is that you can say something *didn't happen **just now*** (刚才), but you can't say that something ***just** didn't happen* (刚). \[Saying that something "just didn't happen" only works in English if you interpret "just" to mean "simply."\] The takeaway? Just don't use 刚 in sentences where you use 没 to negate the past. Use 没 with 刚才 to negate the past. Example Dialog ------------------------------------------------------------------- See also ------------------------------------------------------- - ["Just now" with "gangcai"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Just_now%22_with_%22gangcai%22) - ["Just" with "gang"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Just%22_with_%22gang%22) Sources and further reading --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ### Books - [现代汉语八百词（增订本）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89) (pp. 216) \[ →buy\] - [现代汉语虚词例释](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%99%9A%E8%AF%8D%E4%BE%8B%E9%87%8A) (pp. 190) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B004323J90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693275&sr=8-1) - [现代汉语八百词（增订本）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89) (pp. 217) \[ →buy\] - [对外汉语教学语法释疑201例](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%AF%B9%E5%A4%96%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E6%95%99%E5%AD%A6%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E9%87%8A%E7%96%91201%E4%BE%8B) (pp. 28) \[ →buy\] - [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)) (pp. 40- 2) [→buy](http://amzn.to/2femBuy) - [卓越汉语－公司实战篇](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%8D%93%E8%B6%8A%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%EF%BC%8D%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8%E5%AE%9E%E6%88%98%E7%AF%87) (pp. 239) \[ →buy\] ### Dictionaries - [现代汉语词典（第5版）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89) (pp. 446) [→buy](http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1)