差不多 chàbuduō

差不多（chàbuduō）means “almost; about the same; nearly”. 差不多 literally means "the difference is not much," so it expresses "almost" or "about the same. Formation: 主语 + 差不多 + 动词/形容词

almost; about the same; nearly

HSK3

Formation

主语 + 差不多 + 动词/形容词

Explanation

差不多 literally means "the difference is not much," so it expresses "almost" or "about the same." As an adverb it goes before the verb or adjective; it can also stand alone meaning "nearly / good enough."

Examples

我们 差不多 到了。
wǒmen chàbuduō dào le.
We're almost there.
这两个包 差不多 大。
zhè liǎng gè bāo chàbuduō dà.
These two bags are about the same size.

Note

Very common in speech; 差不多 compares two things or means an action is nearly done.

FAQ

差不多 — what does it mean and how is it used?

almost; about the same; nearly. 差不多 literally means "the difference is not much," so it expresses "almost" or "about the same." As an adverb it goes before the verb or adjective; it can also stand alone meaning "nearly / good enough."

差不多 — how do you form it?

主语 + 差不多 + 动词/形容词

差不多 — any usage notes?

Very common in speech; 差不多 compares two things or means an action is nearly done.

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