大约/大概 dàyuē / dàgài

大约/大概(dàyuē / dàgài)means “about; approximately; roughly”. 大约 and 大概 mean "about/approximately," giving an estimate of a number, time, or situation. Formation: 大约/大概 + 数量/情况

about; approximately; roughly

HSK4

Formation

大约/大概 + 数量/情况

Explanation

大约 and 大概 mean "about/approximately," giving an estimate of a number, time, or situation. They usually go before the quantity or the verb phrase being estimated.

Examples

现在 大约 八点。
xiànzài dàyuē bā diǎn.
It's about eight o'clock now.
大概 忘了。
tā dàgài wàng le.
He probably forgot.

Note

大概 can also mean "probably" (a guess), while 大约 mainly gives a numeric estimate.

FAQ

大约/大概 — what does it mean and how is it used?

about; approximately; roughly. 大约 and 大概 mean "about/approximately," giving an estimate of a number, time, or situation. They usually go before the quantity or the verb phrase being estimated.

大约/大概 — how do you form it?

大约/大概 + 数量/情况

大约/大概 — any usage notes?

大概 can also mean "probably" (a guess), while 大约 mainly gives a numeric estimate.

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