A2
又, 再 and 還 — three kinds of again
How Chinese splits “again” by tense — 又 for repetition that has occurred, 再 for repetition still to come — and where 還 fits alongside them.
English has one again and Chinese has three words, split by whether the repetition has happened yet.
又 — it happened again
For something that has already recurred. Very often with 了.
他又遲到了。
Tā yòu chídào le.
He’s late again.
昨天又下雨了。
Zuótiān yòu xià yǔ le.
It rained again yesterday.
又 carries a faint edge of of course he did — mild exasperation at a pattern. That is not in the grammar, but it is in the usage often enough to be worth knowing.
再 — do it again
For repetition that has not happened yet: a request, a plan, an intention.
請再說一遍。
Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
Say that again, please.
我們明天再談吧。
Wǒmen míngtiān zài tán ba.
Let’s talk again tomorrow.
請又說一遍。
請再說一遍。
A request is by definition about something that has not happened. 又 can only look backwards.
The test is the tense, not the politeness: 我昨天又去了 and 我明天再去 use different words for the same trip repeated.
還 — still, and also
還 is not really again. It is in addition or still ongoing, and it lands near enough to the other two to get mixed in.
他還在睡覺。
Tā hái zài shuìjiào.
He’s still asleep.
我還想要一杯。
Wǒ hái xiǎng yào yì bēi.
I’d like another one.
That second sentence with 再 — 我再要一杯 — is an order to the waiter. With 還 it is a statement about what you would like. Close enough to swap by accident, far enough apart to be noticed.
再 also means “then, after that”
Sequencing two actions, where the second waits for the first. It pairs naturally with 先.
我們先吃飯，再看電影。
Wǒmen xiān chīfàn, zài kàn diànyǐng.
Let’s eat first, then watch the film.
The short version
- 又 — it happened again, and it has already happened
- 再 — do it again, and it has not happened yet
- 還 — still, or in addition