wǒ zhídào kàn le bàojià, cái jiǎofèi.

I

Breakdown of wǒ zhídào kàn le bàojià, cái jiǎofèi.

• 了le: perfective particle
• 看kàn: to see

Questions & Answers about wǒ zhídào kàn le bàojià, cái jiǎofèi.

What does 直到……才…… mean in this sentence?

This pattern means not until... then... or only after... did....

So:

• 我直到看了报价，才缴费。
• = I didn’t pay until I had looked at the quote.
• = Only after seeing the quoted price did I pay.

The combination 直到 + event, 才 + main action strongly emphasizes that the second action happened late, only then, or not before that point.

---

Why is 才 used here?

才 often means only then, not until then, or only after that.

In this sentence, it marks that 缴费 happened after the speaker looked at the quote, and not earlier.

Compare:

• 我看了报价，就缴费了。
  = I looked at the quote and then paid.
  This sounds like a normal sequence.

• 我直到看了报价，才缴费。
  = I didn’t pay until I looked at the quote.
  This emphasizes delay or a condition being met first.

So 才 is important because it gives the sentence its not until feeling.

---

Why is 直到 placed before 看了报价?