再 (Again — Unrealized/Future) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

再 (zài) is the "again" you use when the repeat hasn't happened yet. This is the fact English hides from you: English says "again" for both "I went again yesterday" and "I'll go again tomorrow," but Mandarin splits them. 再 points forward — it schedules, requests, or hypothesizes a repetition that is still ahead — while 又 (yòu) reports a repetition that has already taken place. Get this axis right (unrealized vs realized) and you will pick correctly almost every time. The two words are drilled side by side on the 又 vs 再 page; this page owns the forward-looking half.

Sense 1: a repeat that hasn't happened — "again, one more"

The bread-and-butter use: an action you want done another time, still in the future. Requests, offers, and plans all live here. Notice 再 sits before the verb, and any "how many times" phrase (一次, 一遍, 一杯) comes after the verb.

再来一次！

zài lái yí cì

One more time! / Do it again! (informal)

老板，再来一杯。

lǎobǎn, zài lái yì bēi

Boss, another round, please. (informal)

请再说一遍，好吗？

qǐng zài shuō yí biàn, hǎo ma?

Could you say it again, please? (polite)

💡

The reliable test: could you tag the sentence with "next time / later / from now on"? If yes, the repetition is unrealized → 再. If it already happened ("last time / yesterday / just now"), it's realized → 又.

Sense 2: deferral — "again later / let's leave it"

再 loves an unspecified future point. 明天再说 literally "tomorrow again talk" is the everyday way to punt something down the road — "we'll deal with it later." It's not a promise of when, just a promise of not now.

这件事我们明天再说吧。

zhè jiàn shì wǒmen míngtiān zài shuō ba

Let's deal with this tomorrow. (informal)

有空再聊，我先走了。

yǒu kòng zài liáo, wǒ xiān zǒu le

Let's chat again when there's time — I'm off. (informal)

Sense 3: sequencing — "then / afterwards"

再 also chains two future actions in order: do A first, then B. It usually rides with 先 (xiān, "first"), giving the frame 先…再… ("first…, then…"). The B action is still unrealized, which is exactly why it's 再 and not the past-oriented 就.

吃完饭再走，别急。

chī wán fàn zài zǒu, bié jí

Leave after you've eaten — no rush. (informal)

先做完作业，再看电视。

xiān zuò wán zuòyè, zài kàn diànshì

Finish your homework first, then watch TV. (neutral)

This ordering sense connects to the wider sequencing 'then' grammar. Careful: this "then" is the temporal afterwards, not the conditional "then" of 如果…就 — that one is 就.

Sense 4: "even more / further" with an adjective

再 + an adjective (often + 一点 / 一些) asks for more of a quality, pushing something further along a scale. Since you're requesting a not-yet-reached state, 再 is the natural fit.

声音再大一点，我听不清。

shēngyīn zài dà yìdiǎn, wǒ tīng bù qīng

A bit louder — I can't hear clearly. (informal)

再便宜一点，我就买。

zài piányi yìdiǎn, wǒ jiù mǎi

Knock the price down a little and I'll buy it. (informal)

Fixed uses: 再见 and 再也不

Two high-frequency phrases bank on 再. 再见 (zàijiàn) — "goodbye" — is literally "see (you) again," a scheduled future meeting. And 再…也不… / 再也不 means "never again," locking off any future repeat.

再见，明天见！

zàijiàn, míngtiān jiàn

Bye — see you tomorrow! (neutral)

我再也不去那家店了。

wǒ zài yě bú qù nà jiā diàn le

I'm never going to that shop again. (informal)

The 再 / 又 divide — the one thing to nail

Because both are "again," English speakers default to whichever comes to mind and get it wrong half the time. The rule is binary: 未实现 (unrealized) → 再; 已实现 (realized) → 又. A past repetition is always 又; a future or requested one is always 再.

我昨天又去了那家店。

wǒ zuótiān yòu qù le nà jiā diàn

I went to that shop again yesterday. (realized past → 又)

我明天再去那家店。

wǒ míngtiān zài qù nà jiā diàn

I'll go to that shop again tomorrow. (unrealized future → 再)

For the realized side in full, see the 又 page.

Common Mistakes

1. Using 再 for a repetition that already happened. The classic transfer error — English "again" masks the split.

❌ 我昨天再去了那家店。

Incorrect — the visit already happened (yesterday), so it must be 又: 我昨天又去了.

✅ 我昨天又去了那家店。

wǒ zuótiān yòu qù le nà jiā diàn

I went to that shop again yesterday.

2. Putting the count before the verb. The "how many times" phrase follows the verb: 说一遍, not 一遍说.

❌ 请再一遍说。

Word-order error — the count goes after the verb: 请再说一遍.

✅ 请再说一遍。

qǐng zài shuō yí biàn

Please say it once more.

3. Using 再 for the conditional 'then'. 先…再… sequences actions in time; the "if…then" result is 就, not 再.

❌ 如果你不去，我再去。

Wrong 'then' — a conditional result takes 就: 如果你不去，我就去.

✅ 先做完作业，再看电视。

xiān zuò wán zuòyè, zài kàn diànshì

Finish your homework first, then watch TV. (the temporal 再)

4. Reaching for 二 in the count. "Two more cups" uses 两, never 二.

❌ 再来二杯。

Wrong number word — before a measure word 'two' is 两: 再来两杯.

✅ 再来两杯。

zài lái liǎng bēi

Two more cups, please.

Key Takeaways

再 (zài) = "again" for a repetition not yet realized — future, planned, requested, or hypothetical.
Core uses: one-more (再来一次), deferral (明天再说), sequencing 先…再… (then/afterwards), and 再 + adj for "even more" (再大一点).
The count phrase (一次 / 一遍 / 一杯) goes after the verb: 再说一遍.
Fixed: 再见 ("see you again"), 再也不…了 ("never again").
The binary to memorize: unrealized → 再, realized → 又. A past repeat is always 又.
Use 两, not 二, before a measure word: 再来两杯.

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