The Chinese word 来不及 means “not enough time” or “too late”. It is commonly used to express a sense of urgency or regret, indicating that there is not enough time to do something or that it is already too late to take action. For example, if someone is running late for an appointment, they might say “我来不及了” to convey that they won’t make it on time. Similarly, if someone misses a deadline, they might say “我来不及了” to express regret that they didn’t finish in time.
Translation
Verb: there’s not enough time
Pronunciation
Example Sentences
| Chinese | Pinyin | Engish |
|---|---|---|
| 我赶火车，来不及吃早饭了 | wǒ gǎn huǒchē, lái bù jí chī zǎofàn le | I was rushing for the train, so I didn’t have time to eat breakfast |
| 他出门时，发现自己来不及换衣服了 | tā chūmén shí, fāxiàn zìjǐ lái bù jí huàn yīfú le | He realized he didn’t have time to change clothes when he was about to leave |
| 我们要赶飞机，来不及逛街了 | wǒmen yào gǎn fēijī, lái bù jí guàngjiē le | We have to catch the plane, so we don’t have time to go shopping |
| 她上班迟到了，因为她来不及化妆 | tā shàngbān chídào le, yīn wèi tā lái bù jí huàzhuāng | She was late for work because she didn’t have time to put on makeup |
| 昨天晚上我太忙了，来不及给你回复 | zuótiān wǎnshàng wǒ tài máng le, lái bù jí gěi nǐ huífù | I was too busy last night, so I didn’t have time to reply to you |
| 我们要赶着去看电影，来不及吃晚饭了 | wǒmen yào gǎn zhe qù kàn diànyǐng, lái bù jí chī wǎnfàn le | We have to hurry to see the movie, so we don’t have time to eat dinner |
HSK
来不及 is part of HSK Level 4 in both HSK 2.0 and HSK 3.0.
Learning Card
