又 + Verb + 了 (again, in the past)
Ugh — not again!
- Something that happened before just happened once more.
- English groans "again!" — Chinese has a tidy word for it: again又.
- It looks backward, at a repeat that's already done.
again又 + Verb + (completed / change)了
- Frame a finished repeat as again又 + Verb + (completed / change)了.
you你again又late迟到了。
- again又to arrive late迟到(completed / change)了 = "late again" — and yes, there's a hint of complaint.
Practice
Complete: 你 ____ 迟到了! (You're late again!)
又 + Verb + 了 marks a repeat that already happened: 又迟到了.
Practice
Build the sentence: “It's raining again!”
又 + Verb + 了: 又 + 下雨 + 了.
again又 looks back, again / then再 looks forward
- again又 = it already happened again (past) — takes (completed / change)了.
- again / then再 = it will happen again (future) — takes no (completed / change)了.
again又rain下雨了！
- again又to rain下雨(completed / change)了 ("raining again") vs tomorrow明天again / then再to come来 ("come again tomorrow").
Explore
Correct or broken?
又 + verb + 了 reports a repeat that has ALREADY happened.
Practice
Which means it happened again (in the past)?
又 (+ 了) = a past repeat; 再 = a future one (no 了).
Practice
又 is used for repeats you plan for the future.
又 looks back at a past repeat; for a future one use 再.
Recap
Key idea
- again又 + Verb + (completed / change)了 — (it) happened again, in the past
- again又 looks back (+ (completed / change)了); again / then再 looks forward (no (completed / change)了)
- Often carries a touch of "ugh, again"
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Adverbs.