Discussion of 差点儿/差點兒

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差点儿 is an adverb indicating that
A). something did not happen at the end but it almost happened.
B). something finally happened but it almost did not happen.

When using 差点儿, we need to consider whether the incident is positive (something that we wish to happen) or negative (something we do not wish to happen); we also need to consider whether to use 没 before the verb.

We can use 差点儿 in the following three meanings:

1. We can use 差点儿 when we want to say that fortunately something that we do not wish/hope to happen ended up not happening, though it almost happened. In this meaning, we may use or not 没 before the verb and the meaning expressed does not change.
For instance, the following two sentences have exactly the same meaning. “Knocked over by that car” is a bad thing, something that we do not wish or hope to happen to this person. This bad thing did not happen but it almost did. With or without 没, the meaning expressed does not change:
- 他差点儿没被那辆车撞倒。[phr] He was almost knocked over by that car.
- 他差点儿被那辆车撞倒。 [phr] He was almost knocked over by that car.

2. We can use 差点儿 when we want to say that finally something that we wish/hope to happen ended up happening, though it almost could not happen. In this meaning, we have to use 没 before the verb.
E.g. 我准备的内容有点多，演讲的时候差点儿没说完。[phr] The content I prepared was a bit too long; when I did the speech, I almost could not finish saying (everything I wanted to say).
In this sentence above, “finish the speech” is what the speaker hopes to happen and it did happen at the end. 没 is necessary in this case

3. We can use 差点儿 when we want to say that unfortunately something that we wish/hope to happen ended up not happening, though it almost happened. In this meaning, we do NOT use 没 before the verb. 就 appears often before the verb.
E.g. 他差点儿就考上了他理想的大学。 -/- [phr] He almost made into his ideal university.

lisaC

How is 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) used in a sentence?

个学生

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差点儿 (chàdiǎnr) is a commonly used phrase in Mandarin Chinese that means "almost" or "nearly." It is often used to express a close call or a near miss in a situation. The pronunciation of 差点儿 is "chà diǎnr," with the first tone on "chà" and the third tone on "diǎnr."

Here are some examples of how 差点儿 can be used in a sentence:

1. 我差点儿迟到了。(Wǒ chàdiǎnr chídào le.) - I almost arrived late.

2. 他差点儿被车撞了。(Tā chàdiǎnr bèi chē zhuàng le.) - He was nearly hit by a car.

3. 我差点儿没看到你。(Wǒ chàdiǎnr méi kàn dào nǐ.) - I almost didn't see you.

当老师

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Are there any words similar to 差点儿 (chàdiǎnr)?

个学生

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1. 差一点儿 (chà yīdiǎnr) - This phrase has a similar meaning to 差点儿, but it emphasizes the idea of being "just a little bit" away from something. It can also be translated as "almost, nearly."

2. 几乎 (jīhū) - This word means "almost, nearly" and is often used to describe something that is very close to happening or being true.

4. 快要 (kuàiyào) - This phrase means "almost, nearly" and is often used to describe something that is about to happen or is very close to happening.

5. 将近 (jiāngjìn) - This phrase means "almost, nearly" and is often used to describe something that is very close to a certain amount or time.

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