How to use 几(jī/jǐ)【HSK Grammar Points】

HSK Grammar Points > 几( jī/jǐ )

There are 7 ways to use 几( jī/jǐ ):

to ask "How many"

to ask "What time/When"

to express "Several"

没有+几 means "Few"

几 + 十/百/千/万 is used to express the plural of numerals

十几 is a number between 11 to 19

As an adverb, 几 means "almost". It is pronounced as "jī"(the first tone).

Let's learn them in the examples.

1. How many
   【几 + Measure Word + Noun】
   (1<几<10): used to ask about amount or quantity.
   • Qǐngwèn nín yǒu jǐ jiàn xínglǐ?
     请问您有几件行李？
     How many luggages do you have? 13141
2. What time/When
   【几点/几时】
   at what time
   • Jǐdiǎn le?
     几点了?
     What time is it? 296
     Tāmen jǐshí huílái?
     他们几时回来？
     When will they come back? 1281
3. Several
   【几 + Measure Word + Noun】
   an amount that is not exact but is fewer than many
   • Wǒ de jǐ gè péngyǒu zhèngzài xué hànyǔ.
     我的几个朋友正在学汉语。
     Several of my friends are learning Chinese. 13151
4. Few
   【没有几 + Measure Word + Noun】
   a small number of something
   • Méiyǒu jǐ gè rén zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.
     没有几个人知道这件事。
     Few people know about it. 13145
5. Plural of numerals
   【几 + 十/百/千/万 + Measure Word】
   几十, 几百, 几千 and 几万 are used to say tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands.
   • Jǐ shí, jǐ qiān, jǐ wàn
     几十、几千、几万
     Dozens, thousands, tens of thousands 13148
     Zhè jiā gōngsī yǒu jǐ bǎi míng yuángōng.
     这家公司有几百名员工。
     This company has hundreds of employees. 13150
6. Teens
   【十几 + Measure Word + Noun】
   10 < 十几 < 20
   • Wǒ de liǎng gè nǚ'ér dōu shí jǐ suì.
     我的两个女儿都十几岁。
     Both my daughters are in their teens. 13149
7. ( jī ) Almost adv.
   【几乎】
   When used as an adverb, it means "almost, nearly". It is pronounced as "jī"(the first tone).
   • Jīhū suǒyǒu de xuéshēng dōu shuō"shì".
     几乎所有的学生都说"是"。
     Almost all the students said "yes". 5779

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