Learn Hardcore Chinese: wǒ gāng zài wàimiàn kànjiàn tā le.

刚 (gāng) is an adverb meaning “just,” indicating the action happened very recently. It modifies the verb phrase: 刚在外面看见 “just saw (outside).”
刚才 (gāngcái) is a time expression meaning “a moment ago.” It usually appears in the time slot: 我刚才在外面看见她了.
刚刚 (gānggāng) is like “just now,” a bit more colloquial/emphatic than 刚: 我刚刚在外面看见她了. All three are compatible with the sentence; they differ slightly in style and emphasis rather than meaning.

Why is 在 used before 外面? Could I say 外面 alone?

在外面 is a prepositional phrase meaning “at/outside,” placed before the verb to mark location. Standard Mandarin prefers 在 here. You may hear 我刚外面看见她了 in casual speech, but 我刚在外面看见她了 is safer and more standard.

Is the word order Time–Place–Verb–Object here? Is that the usual order?

Yes. The natural order is:

Time: 刚/刚才
Place: 在外面
Verb: 看见
Object: 她 So 我刚在外面看见她了 follows the common Chinese pattern “time + place + action.”

What is the function of the 了 at the end?

This sentence-final 了 marks a new situation/confirmed occurrence from the speaker’s perspective (often called “sentence-final 了”). It frames the whole sentence as “this (just) happened/now it’s the case that…”. It’s not a past-tense marker, but it often appears with completed recent events.

Could I put 了 after the verb instead: 我刚在外面看见了她?

Yes. 看见了 uses perfective 了 (aspect 了) right after the verb, marking the action as completed. Both:

我刚在外面看见她了 (sentence-final 了)
我刚在外面看见了她 (aspect 了) are natural. The first sounds like “I’ve (now) seen her,” the second like “I did see her (completed).” In everyday speech, either is fine.

Can I use both 了s together, like 我刚在外面看见了她了?

It can occur in specific contexts to stress both completion and a new situation, especially in contrast or correction (e.g., “I have indeed seen her now”). However, it’s easy to overuse. As a learner, prefer using just one 了.

If I drop 了 altogether—我刚在外面看见她—is it still correct?

Often yes, especially in running narrative or as part of a larger sentence. But as a stand‑alone report/answer, native speakers commonly add 了 to make the occurrence feel definite and “news-like.” So …看见她了 is the safer default.

Why use 看见 instead of 看到 or 见到? Are there differences?

看见 and 看到 both often mean “to see (successfully).” In many contexts they’re interchangeable.
见到 leans slightly toward “to meet/see (someone)” rather than just visually spot, though it too is often interchangeable with 看到/看见 when the object is a person. Your sentence is natural with any of these: 看见她 / 看到她 / 见到她.

Is 看见 a resultative compound? Does it already imply completion—so why use 了?

Yes, 看见 (see-successfully) is resultative, so it implies the seeing succeeded. But 了 still has roles:

Aspect 了 marks the event as completed in time.
Sentence-final 了 marks a new situation/confirmed occurrence. So adding 了 is still meaningful and natural.

Could I use 过 instead of 了 to say “have seen”?

Not here with 刚. 过 marks an experience at some indefinite time in the past. 刚 means “just now,” a specific recent event. So:

✔ 我见过她。 “I have seen/met her (before).”
✘ 我刚在外面看见过她。 (clashes: “just now” vs. “at some time before”)

Is 在 here the progressive marker (like “be V‑ing”), as in 我在看…?

No. Here 在 belongs to the location phrase 在外面 (“at/outside”). The progressive 在 comes before a verb phrase (e.g., 我在看书). You wouldn’t say 我在看见她 because 看见 is instantaneous and not naturally progressive.

How do I say this in the negative?

Use 没(有) to negate a past/completed event, and drop 了:

我刚在外面没看见她。
我刚才在外面没看到她。 Don’t use 不 for this kind of past event.

How is 了 pronounced here—le or liǎo?

This is the neutral‑tone le (the particle), not liǎo. liǎo is a different word meaning “finish/able to” as in 不了 (bùliǎo) “unable to.”

How do I pronounce 外面 and 看见? Is 面 ever neutral?

外面 is commonly pronounced wàimiàn, but in casual speech the second syllable is often neutral: wàimian.
看见 is kànjiàn (both fourth tone). 了 is neutral tone.

In speech, how do I know whether 她 or 他 is meant?

You don’t; both are tā in speech. Context tells you. In writing, 她 is used for “she/her,” 他 for “he/him.”

Can I move 刚 elsewhere, like 我在外面刚看见她了?

Yes, 我在外面刚看见她了 is acceptable and focuses slightly more on the verb phrase (“it was just that I saw her”). The very common, neutral choice is still 我刚在外面看见她了.

How would I say “I just saw that she was outside” (i.e., I saw her being outside), not “I saw her outside”?

Use a clause after 看见:

我刚看见她在外面。 This highlights the content of what you saw (“that she was outside”), rather than the location of the seeing.

Are there other natural verbs for “bump into/run into” her outside?

Yes:

我刚在外面遇到她了。
我刚在外面碰到她了。 These emphasize a chance encounter, not just seeing.

What’s the difference among 外面, 外边, 外头?

All can mean “outside.” 外面 is most common/neutral. 外边 is near‑synonymous; 外头 can sound a bit more colloquial/regional. With 儿‑suffix: 外边儿 (northern style).

How would I naturally answer “Did you see her?” using this pattern?

Q: 你看见她了吗？
A: 看见了。/ 我刚在外面看见她了。 Both are idiomatic; adding 刚 gives the “just now” nuance.

Can I replace 刚 with 才 here?

Not directly. 才 has several uses (e.g., “not until/only then”), and 我才在外面看见她 sounds off without a specific “not until…” context. You can say:

我刚才在外面看见她了。 (using 刚才)
Or a 才 pattern with focus: 我是在外面才看见她的 (“It was only once I was outside that I saw her”), which changes the meaning.