wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái zuòwán gōngzuò.

very

Breakdown of wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái zuòwán gōngzuò.

• 我们wǒmen: we
• 今天jīntiān: today
• 才cái: not until

Questions & Answers about wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái zuòwán gōngzuò.

What does the particle 才 (cái) do in this sentence?

It marks “not until/only then,” implying the action happened later than expected. So 很晚才 suggests “not until very late (did we) finish.”

Why is it 很晚才 and not 才很晚?

才 must come directly before the verb phrase it modifies. Here it modifies 做完工作, and 很晚 is a time/degree adverbial. So the pattern is: [time/degree] + 才 + [VP], i.e., 很晚才做完工作, not 才很晚做完工作.

Is 很 necessary before 晚? Can I say 我们今天晚才做完工作?

• 很晚才 is the natural collocation.
• 晚才 alone sounds awkward.
• If you drop 很 and also drop 才, 我们今天晚做完工作 is possible but less idiomatic than adding 很 or 才.
• Note: 我们今天才做完工作 changes the meaning to “we only finished today (not earlier),” focusing on “today,” not “late at night.”

What’s the difference between saying 我们今天很晚做完工作 and 我们今天很晚才做完工作?

• 很晚做完: simply states “finished very late.”
• 很晚才做完: adds the “not until” nuance—later than expected, more emphatic/natural in this context.

Do I need after ?