Log inSign up

wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái zuòwán gōngzuò.

我们wǒmen　今天jīntiān　很hěn　晚wǎn　才cái　做完zuòwán　工作gōngzuò。wǒmen jīntiān hěn wǎn cái zuòwán gōngzuò.
We didn’t finish the work until very late today.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Chinese grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Chinese now

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 了 (le) after 做完?

Not required. 完 already encodes completion. Options:

  • With an object: 我们今天很晚才做完工作 (very common).
  • Without the object, many speakers add 了: 我们今天很晚才做完了 (“only then did we finish [it]”).
  • With 把 for emphasis (and often with 了): 我们今天很晚才把工作做完了.
What exactly does 做完 mean here? How is it different from 完成?
  • 做完 (zuòwán) = “do + finish” (verb + result complement), very common and colloquial.
  • 完成 (wánchéng) = “complete/finish,” a single verb, a bit more formal. Examples:
  • 我们今天很晚才做完工作。
  • 我们今天很晚才完成工作。 (slightly more formal; both are fine)
Why not use 把: 我们今天很晚才把工作做完?

You can. 把 front-loads the object for emphasis on the result affecting it:

  • 我们今天很晚才把工作做完（了）。 Both with or without 把 are natural; 把 puts more spotlight on “the work.”
Where can I place 今天 and the subject? Is 今天我们… okay?

Yes. Both are fine:

  • 我们今天很晚才…
  • 今天我们很晚才… Chinese commonly puts time expressions early in the sentence.
What’s the difference between 工作, 上班, 下班, and 加班 here?
  • 工作 (gōngzuò): the work/tasks themselves.
  • 上班 (shàngbān): be at work/work shifts.
  • 下班 (xiàbān): get off work.
  • 加班 (jiābān): work overtime. Alternative sentences:
  • 我们今天很晚才下班。 (We got off work late.)
  • 我们今天加班到很晚。 (We worked overtime until late.)
How does 才 compare to 就 (jiù)?

They’re opposites in timing/expectation:

  • 才 = later than expected: 我们今天十点才做完工作。 (not until 10)
  • 就 = earlier/sooner/easier than expected: 我们今天七点就做完工作了。 (as early as 7)
How do I say “We hadn’t finished even by late at night”?

Use negation with 没/没有 instead of 才:

  • 到很晚我们都没做完工作。
  • 一直到很晚也没做完工作。 (Using 才 with negation is generally not how you express this idea.)
Can I specify a concrete time with 才?

Yes:

  • 我们今天十点才做完工作。 (not until 10)
  • With “until”: 我们今天到十点才做完工作。
Any pronunciation tips (tone sandhi) for 很晚?
Yes. 很 (hěn) + 晚 (wǎn) is 3rd tone + 3rd tone, so 很 changes to rising tone in speech: pronounce it like hén wǎn, though it’s still written hěn wǎn in pinyin.
Can I omit 工作?

If context makes the object clear, yes:

  • 我们今天很晚才做完。 or …才做完了。 If you want to keep it explicit, use 工作 or the 把 pattern: 把工作做完（了）.
Can I topicalize 工作?

Yes, for emphasis on the object:

  • 工作我们今天很晚才做完。 This is a common topic–comment structure in Chinese.