又 (Again — Realized/Repeated) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

又 (yòu) is one of two words Chinese uses for English "again," and choosing it correctly is a matter of time direction. 又 reports a repetition that has already happened or that habitually recurs — the event is real, sitting in the past or in an established pattern. English "again" is blind to this distinction: "he came again" and "he'll come again" use the same word. Chinese splits them — 又 for the realized repeat you can already see, and 再 (z ài) for the one still to come. Because a 又 event is real and completed, it almost always drags a sentence-final 了 along with it.

又 for repetition that has happened

The core pattern is Subject + 又 + Verb (+ 了). The 又 sits directly before the verb, and the 了 at the end signals that this repeat is a done deal — a new fact in the world.

他又迟到了，这已经是这个星期第三次了。

tā yòu chídào le, zhè yǐjīng shì zhège xīngqī dì sān cì le

He's late again — that's already the third time this week. (informal, with a note of exasperation)

又下雨了，我们别出去了吧。

yòu xià yǔ le, wǒmen bié chūqù le ba

It's raining again — let's not go out. (informal)

你怎么又忘了带钥匙？

nǐ zěnme yòu wàng le dài yàoshi?

How did you forget your keys again? (informal, mildly annoyed)

这个月我又胖了两公斤。

zhège yuè wǒ yòu pàng le liǎng gōngjīn

I've put on two more kilos this month. (informal)

Notice the flavour English can't easily carry: 又 often adds a tinge of "yet again," a sense that this is one time too many. It is the word you reach for when the rain, the lateness, or the forgetting has become a pattern you'd rather it weren't.

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The reliable tell for 又 is the sentence-final 了. Realized repetition is a completed event, and 了 is what marks a new, actualised situation. If you can end the sentence with 了 ("…again, and it happened"), 又 is your word — not 再.

The three jobs of 又

Beyond plain "again," 又 does two more things that flow from the same idea of adding one more instance:

Use	Pattern	Example	Sense
Realized repeat	又 + V + 了	他又来了	He came again
Parallel qualities	又 A 又 B	又累又饿	Both tired and hungry
"Yet / and yet"	… 又 …	想去又不敢	Want to go, yet don't dare

又…又… — "both…and…"

Doubled 又 stacks two qualities or actions that hold at the same time. Each 又 goes before an adjective or verb; the two must be grammatically parallel (two adjectives, or two verb phrases).

跑完步我又累又渴，只想喝水。

pǎo wán bù wǒ yòu lèi yòu kě, zhǐ xiǎng hē shuǐ

After the run I'm both tired and thirsty — I just want water. (informal)

这家餐厅又便宜又好吃，我们常来。

zhè jiā cāntīng yòu piányi yòu hǎochī, wǒmen cháng lái

This restaurant is both cheap and tasty — we come often. (informal)

他又高又帅，难怪那么受欢迎。

tā yòu gāo yòu shuài, nánguài nàme shòu huānyíng

He's both tall and good-looking — no wonder he's so popular. (informal)

又 for "yet" and for certain future cycles

A single 又 between two clashing clauses means "yet / but still" — the tension of wanting one thing while feeling another:

我想跟他说实话，又怕他生气。

wǒ xiǎng gēn tā shuō shíhuà, yòu pà tā shēngqì

I want to tell him the truth, yet I'm afraid he'll get angry. (neutral)

And there is one apparent exception to the "past only" rule: 又 does appear with the future when that future is a certain, cyclical fact rather than a planned action — because the recurrence is already an established feature of reality, not something anyone intends.

明天又是星期一，真不想上班。

míngtiān yòu shì xīngqīyī, zhēn bù xiǎng shàngbān

Tomorrow's Monday again — I really don't want to go to work. (informal)

Common Mistakes

1. Using 又 for a planned future repeat. This is the single most common "again" error. An action you intend to repeat is unrealized — it takes 再, not 又.

❌ 明天我又去看他。

Incorrect — a planned future repeat is unrealized, so it needs 再, not 又.

✅ 明天我再去看他。

míngtiān wǒ zài qù kàn tā

I'll go see him again tomorrow. — 再 for the not-yet-done future.

2. Dropping the 了 on a realized repeat. A single past repetition normally needs the closing 了; without it the sentence sounds unfinished.

❌ 昨天他又来。

Incomplete — a realized repeat needs the sentence-final 了: 昨天他又来了.

✅ 昨天他又来了。

zuótiān tā yòu lái le

He came again yesterday. — 又…了 for the realized event.

3. Using 都 or 也 instead of 又…又…. English speakers reach for "both" and translate it as 都, but the "both…and…" of parallel qualities is 又…又….

❌ 这家店都便宜都好吃。

Incorrect — parallel qualities use 又…又…, not repeated 都.

✅ 这家店又便宜又好吃。

zhè jiā diàn yòu piányi yòu hǎochī

This shop is both cheap and tasty. — 又…又… links the two qualities.

4. Putting 又 after the verb. As an adverb, 又 belongs in the pre-verb slot; it never trails the verb.

❌ 他来又了。

Incorrect — 又 is a pre-verb adverb: 他又来了.

✅ 他又来了。

tā yòu lái le

He came again. — 又 sits before the verb.

Key Takeaways

又 (yòu) = "again" for a repeat that has happened or habitually recurs — it reports realized repetition.
It leans on a sentence-final 了: 他又迟到了, 又下雨了. If 了 fits, 又 is right.
又…又… links parallel qualities or actions: 又累又饿 (both tired and hungry), 又便宜又好吃 (both cheap and tasty).
A single 又 can mean "yet / and yet" (想去又不敢), and it appears with a certain cyclical future (明天又是星期一).
For a planned future repeat, switch to 再 (zài) — the full contrast is on the 又 vs 再 page.

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