# Daylight Saving Time is ending soon



## yuechu

大家好！

I was writing the following sentence in Chinese recently: "还有，这里的夏令时很快就(要？)结束，所以我们星期天早上的课会改成早上9点钟。"
Did I write it correctly? Should there be a 要 there?
Thanks!


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## zhg

还有，（我）这里的夏令时很快就要结束*了*，所以我们星期天早上的课会改成早上9点钟。


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## yuechu

Great! Thanks, Zhg! Do you mind if I ask: Why is "了" being used here? Is it because it announces a change... that something is no longer true? (It isn't part of a structure, is it? (like "是。。的" is or "会。。。的"?))

Also, is the concept of 夏令时 known to most Chinese people (in Asia)? I was wondering because I know that it isn't practised there (at least, not to my knowledge).


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## SimonTsai

I'd say the particle '了' is optional there  and no, it isn't something we are familiar with.


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## zhg

I don't know the reason why it is used here, but for me the sentence without 了 doesn't sound as good as the one with 了.


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## yuechu

Oh, one more question: Do you think 夏令时 or 夏令时间 sounds better? (Are they both commonly used?)


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## zhg

It's a set phrase 夏令时(冬令时) not 夏令时间.


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## yuechu

Oh ok! I was asking because the Wordreference dictionary lists both. Perhaps it is an error in the dictionary? (It only lists it in 繁体字 for some reason)


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## zhg

I noticed that 夏令时间 is marked as TC(traditional Chinese), however it's still unclear as to which variant of Chinese it refers to. Perhaps it's not a mistake, though I have never heard anyone say 夏令时间


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## T.D

if you want a version without 了， you can go with 这里的夏令时即将结束


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## ovaltine888

T.D said:


> if you want a version without 了， you can go with 这里的夏令时即将结束


Agree.

要...了 is a structure to say something is going to happen in the future in a relatively informal way.
表演要开始了
比赛要结束了
汽油要用完了

while 即将... is a more formal way to express future tense.
表演即将开始
比赛即将结束
汽油即将耗尽（note:we use a formal word 耗尽 to replace the informal word 用完 to make it sound better.）


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## yuechu

ovaltine888 said:


> 要...了 is a structure to say something is going to happen in the future in a relatively informal way.
> 表演要开始了
> 比赛要结束了
> 汽油要用完了
> 
> while 即将... is a more formal way to express future tense.
> 表演即将开始
> 比赛即将结束
> 汽油即将耗尽（note:we use a formal word 耗尽 to replace the inform word 用完 to make it sound better.）


Oh, that helps me enormously. (I've noted it down!) Thanks so much, Ovaline888! 

Thanks, zhg, Simon and T.D, as well!


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## yuechu

ovaltine888 said:


> 要...了 is a structure to say something is going to happen in the future in a relatively informal way.
> 表演要开始了
> 比赛要结束了
> 汽油要用完了


I just thought of something. Is 要。。。了 only used for events or inanimate things?
For example, if I wanted to say "I'm going to France tomorrow", it would be "我明天要去法国" without “了”, right? (Or are both versions possible, with and without 了？)


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## ovaltine888

yuechu said:


> I just thought of something. Is 要。。。了 only used for events or inanimate things?
> For example, if I wanted to say "I'm going to France tomorrow", it would be "我明天要去法国" without “了”, right? (Or are both versions possible, with and without 了？)


They are slightly different to my ear.

我明天要去法国 sounds more like "I need to go to France tomorrow." Without 了 at the end, the 要 gives me a sense of obligation instead of "going to do something".


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## yuechu

Oh really? So in that case as well (if one doesn't want to say or emphasize that it is an obligation), it's better with "了", right? (I have been saying that wrong since I first started learning Chinese!)

Thank you for the correction, Ovaltine888!


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## ovaltine888

I think so. Sometimes it is very subtle.

Try to compare these two sentences.

我明天要去考试，今天得早点睡觉。
I need to take a test tomorrow, so I should go to bed early tonight.

我明天要去考试了，可是我还是有很多不会。
I'm going to take a test tomorrow, but I am still not well prepared.


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## ovaltine888

Actually "要" is a short form of either “将要”(will/be going to) or "需要”(need to)

You may try to complete the word with 要 in the sentence to see which one sounds better to you.
In the cases of 需要，you do not need the 了 at the end.

我明天（将）要去巴黎了，以后我们不能再见面了。

我明天（需）要去巴黎，不能参加这个会议。


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## yuechu

Oh, I had no idea about this! (I'll definitely have to correct myself in the future if I use the wrong one!)

Thanks for the useful tips, Ovaltine888!


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## AquisM

yuechu said:


> Oh ok! I was asking because the Wordreference dictionary lists both. Perhaps it is an error in the dictionary? (It only lists it in 繁体字 for some reason)


夏令時間 is the standard term for _daylight saving time _(or _summer time_, following British terminology) in Hong Kong. See e.g. this page of the Hong Kong Observatory's website about Hong Kong's historical summer time system. Not sure if this is also the case in Taiwan and Macau (which also had daylight saving time for some time during the Portuguese colonial era).


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## ovaltine888

AquisM said:


> 夏令時間 is the standard term for _daylight saving time _(or _summer time_, following British terminology) in Hong Kong. See e.g. this page of the Hong Kong Observatory's website about Hong Kong's historical summer time system. Not sure if this is also the case in Taiwan and Macau (which also had daylight saving time for some time during the Portuguese colonial era).


I guess 夏令时 or 夏令时间 are both acceptable to people from Mainland China. It has become an unfamiliar word to the younger generation as the summer time is ditched by the Chinese government in 1992.


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## 江城子

I think "了“ would make the sentence sound more informal.

我要去吃饭了。（This is what I would speak to my roommates.)
我要去吃饭。（This is what I would say to someone I am not familiar with or someone I don't wanna talk to.)


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## SuperXW

江城子 said:


> 我要去吃饭了。（This is what I would speak to my roommates.)
> 我要去吃饭。（This is what I would say to someone I am not familiar with or someone I don't wanna talk to.)


要...了 sounds like something "needs to be done", which may not be my personal wish.
Without 了, the sentence sounds more definite, that 我要 could imply "I want, I will" which suggests "my own decision".


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## yuechu

Thank you all for your answers! The word 了 can be really tricky in Chinese!



SuperXW said:


> 要...了 sounds like something "needs to be done"


Above, it was mentioned that 要... (with no "了") means "to need" 需要. Are you saying that 要。。。了 also has this function?


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## j29682896

zhg said:


> I noticed that 夏令时间 is marked as TC(traditional Chinese), however it's still unclear as to which variant of Chinese it refers to. Perhaps it's not a mistake, though I have never heard anyone say 夏令时间


In Taiwan, I think people would use 夏令时间。 It sounds better to my Taiwanese ears.


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## SuperXW

yuechu said:


> Above, it was mentioned that 要... (with no "了") means "to need" 需要. Are you saying that 要。。。了 also has this function?


Don't know why, I feel like so.

Compare:
我要结婚。I want to get married.
我要结婚了。I'm going to get married soon.


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