要……了 — about to happen

Dark clouds over the park

• You are in the park with a friend. The sky turns dark and the wind picks up.
• about to要yàoto rain下雨xià yǔ(completed / change)了le，we我们wǒmen回家吧huí jiā ba。 — "It's about to rain. Let's go home."

about to要yào + verb + (completed / change)了le: about to happen

• about to要yào……(completed / change)了le says something will happen very soon: about to要yàoto rain下雨xià yǔ(completed / change)了le, it's about to rain; train火车huǒchēabout to要yàoleave开kāi(completed / change)了le, the train is about to leave.
• (completed / change)了le at the end is required in this pattern. about to要yàoto rain下雨xià yǔ alone can sound like a plan or a forecast, not "any minute now".

train火车huǒchēabout to要yàoleave开kāi了le。

Sooner still: nearly at the point of…快要kuài yào……(completed / change)了le and about to就要jiù yào……(completed / change)了le

• nearly at the point of…快要kuài yào……(completed / change)了le and rapid快kuài……(completed / change)了le stress that it is very close: 快到kuài dào(completed / change)了le, we're nearly there.
• about to就要jiù yào……(completed / change)了le can take a time word: we我们wǒmentomorrow明天míngtiānabout to就要jiù yàotake an exam考试kǎoshì(completed / change)了le。 — "We have the exam tomorrow."

we我们wǒmentomorrow明天míngtiānabout to就要jiù yàotake an exam考试kǎoshì了le。

Answering

• Answer a question like movie电影diàn yǐngabout to要yàoto start开始kāi shǐ(completed / change)了le(yes/no ?)吗ma？ with about to要yàoto start开始kāi shǐ(completed / change)了le (yes, any minute) or still / also还háinot / haven't没méi(and …? / softener)呢ne (not yet).
• about to要yào……(completed / change)了le talks about the near future, so do not use it for something that has already happened.

Watch out

Recap