Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái huí jiā. - We didn’t go home until very late today.

Bold 才 here means “not until; only then,” signaling the action happened later than expected. So bold 我们今天很晚才回家 means “We didn’t go home until very late today,” with a mild sense of lateness or delay. Contrast:

Bold 我们今天很早就回家了 = “We went home very early (sooner than expected).”
Bold 我们今天很晚才回家 = “We didn’t go home until very late (later than expected).”

Why is bold 很 placed before bold 晚? Can I omit it?

Bold 很 is a degree adverb modifying the adjective bold 晚 (“late”). With time adjectives like bold 早/晚, a degree word (很/挺/比较/太/这么/那么) is usually added to sound natural. Bold 我们今天晚才回家 sounds off. Alternatives:

Bold 我们今天这么晚才回家
Bold 我们今天比较晚才回家
Or use a different structure: Bold 我们今天回家晚了 / 我们今天到家很晚

Where does bold 才 go? Could I say bold 我们今天才很晚回家?

Put bold 才 right before the verb phrase it scopes over. The time phrase (e.g., bold 两点, bold 很晚) typically sits before bold 才:

Correct: bold 我们今天很晚才回家 / 我们两点才回家
Incorrect: bold 我们今天才很晚回家

Do I need bold 了 here (e.g., bold 我们今天很晚才回家了 or bold 才回了家)?

With this “not until” use of bold 才, you normally do not add verbal bold 了 after the verb: bold 他十点才到 is standard, not bold 他十点才到了. Sentence-final bold 了 is also usually unnecessary here. Rule of thumb: bold 就 often pairs with bold 了 (早就回家了), while bold 才 generally doesn’t.

What’s the difference between bold 回家, bold 回到家, and bold 到家?

Bold 回家: “go home/return home” (focus on the act of going back; arrival implied by context).
Bold 到家 / 回到家: “arrive/get home” (focus on reaching home). If you want to be explicit that the arrival was late, say bold 我们今天很晚才到家 or bold 我们今天很晚才回到家.

Does this sentence mean we started going home late or that we arrived home late?

Bold 很晚才回家 can be ambiguous between “only started heading home late” and “only got home late.” If you want to remove ambiguity, use:

Start late: bold 我们今天很晚才回家
Arrive late: bold 我们今天很晚才到家 / 回到家

Can I move or drop bold 今天?

Yes. Time words typically go early in the sentence.

Bold 今天我们很晚才回家 (also fine)
Bold 我们今天很晚才回家 You can drop the subject if context is clear: bold 今天很晚才回家.

How does bold 才 compare with bold 就?

Bold 才 = later/slower/fewer than expected: bold 我们今天很晚才回家.
Bold 就 = earlier/faster/more easily than expected, and commonly takes bold 了: bold 我们今天很早就回家了. They express opposite expectations.

Can I use bold 已经 with bold 才? For example, bold 我们今天已经很晚才回家?

Not in one clause. Bold 已经 (“already”) clashes with the “not until” meaning of bold 才. Rephrase as two clauses:

Bold 已经很晚了，我们才回家。= “It was already very late, only then did we go home.”

Pronunciation tip: any tone sandhi here?

Yes. Bold 很晚 is two third tones; the first becomes a rising tone: hén wǎn. Bold 才 is second tone: cái. So that chunk sounds like “hén wǎn cái.” Full reading: wǒmen jīntiān hén wǎn cái huí jiā.

Does bold 才 also mean “only” with quantities?

Yes. With numbers/amounts, bold 才 means “only (a small amount/degree),” still implying “less/fewer than expected”:

Bold 我们才两个人。= “We’re only two people.”
Bold 他三点才来。= “He didn’t come until three.”

How do I say “Only after doing X did we go home”?

Use a clause before bold 才:

Bold 我们做完工作才回家。= “Only after finishing work did we go home.”
Bold 吃完饭我们才回家。 or bold 我们吃完饭才回家。

Is bold 回家 a separable verb-object? Can I insert things in between?

Bold 回 + place is a verb + location noun. You can replace bold 家 with a specific home: bold 回我家 / 回他家. You can add directional complements: bold 回家去 (go back home), bold 回来了 (has come back). But you generally don’t insert random words between bold 回 and bold 家.

Is bold 回家很晚 correct?

As a predicate it’s awkward. Prefer:

Bold 我们今天回家晚了。
Bold 我们今天到家很晚。
Bold 我们今天回得很晚。 (drop bold 家 with the bold 得-complement pattern) Or the original bold 我们今天很晚才回家.

Any guideline for ordering multiple time expressions like bold 今天 and bold 很晚?

Use larger time units before smaller/more specific ones:

Bold 我们今天很晚才回家。(day → time-of-day → 才 → verb) Similarly: bold 我们这个周末周日晚上才回家。