Table of Contents

Grammar Point

Different Functions of 差不多 chābùduōchàbuduō

差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō literally means “the difference isn’t much.” Depending on where it goes in the sentence, it can mean “about the same,” “almost done,” or “about / roughly.”

一 About the Same: A (和 B) + 差不多

A (+ 和/跟 B) + 差不多

As the main predicate, 差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō means two or more things are about the same.

我们wǒmen的de年纪niánjì差不多chàbuduō

We’re about the same age.

我wǒ现在xiànzài的de薪水xīnshuǐ和hé十年shí nián前qián差不多chàbuduō

My salary now is about the same as ten years ago. 😭

夜市yèshì里lǐ卖mài的de东西dōngxi都dōu差不多chàbuduō

The night markets all sell pretty much the same stuff.

你们nǐmen来lái台湾Táiwān的de时间shíjiān差不多chàbuduō，都dōu是shì八月bāyuè

You all came to Taiwan around the same time, all in August.

二 Almost Done: V + 得 + 差不多了

Verb + 得 + 差不多 + 了

As a complement after 得 de, it means the action is almost done, or done enough.

我们wǒmen吃chī得de差不多chàbuduō了le，可以kěyǐ买单mǎidān了le

We’re almost done eating. We can get the bill.

我wǒ的de工作gōngzuò，做zuò得de差不多chàbuduō了le

I’m almost done with my work.

你nǐ准备zhǔnbèi得de差不多chàbuduō了le吗ma？

Are you almost ready?

要yào拜拜bàibài的de东西dōngxi，我们wǒmen买mǎi得de差不多chàbuduō了le

We’ve bought almost everything we need for the offering.

FYI: 拜拜 in Taiwan拜拜 bàibài is a big part of life in Taiwan. People pray at temples, shrines, home altars, or graves to show respect, ask for blessings, or remember loved ones who have passed away. Many families also hold 拜拜 bàibài on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month, offering incense, candles, fruit, flowers, and paper money.

三 About / Roughly: 差不多 + V / Adj / Number

差不多 + Verb / Adjective / Number

Before a verb, adjective, or number, 差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō works like an adverb meaning “about,” “roughly,” or “almost.”

我wǒ差不多chàbuduō五点wǔ diǎn会huì到dào你nǐ家jiā

I’ll get to your place at about five.

我们wǒmen差不多chàbuduō在一起zài yìqǐ半年bànnián了le

We’ve been together for almost half a year.

佛罗里达Fóluólǐdá的de夏天xiàtiān和hé台湾Táiwān的de夏天xiàtiān差不多chàbuduō热rè

Summer in Florida is about as hot as summer in Taiwan.

从cóng这儿zhèr到dào车站chēzhàn，差不多chàbuduō要yào走zǒu十shí分钟fēnzhōng

It takes about ten minutes to walk from here to the station.

四 In Conversation: 差不多了

In casual conversation, 差不多了 chābùduō le差不多了 chàbuduō le on its own is a handy, vague answer: “almost” or “more or less.”

A：要yào走zǒu了le吗ma？
B：差不多chàbuduō了le

A: Are you leaving? B: Pretty much.

A：你nǐ习惯xíguàn北京Běijīng的de生活shēnghuó了le吗ma？
B：差不多chàbuduō了le

A: Are you used to life in Beijing? B: More or less.

How do you really say it?Taiwanese textbooks mark the tones as chàbùduō, but in real conversation in Taiwan, almost everyone says chābùduō. In mainland China, it’s chàbuduo, with the last two syllables light.

五 Common Mistakes

❌ 我們wǒmen我们wǒmen的de年紀niánjì年纪niánjì是shì差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō

✅ 我們wǒmen我们wǒmen的de年紀niánjì年纪niánjì差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō

When 差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō means “about the same,” it’s the predicate itself. No 是 shì needed.

❌ 我們wǒmen我们wǒmen吃chī差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō了le

✅ 我們wǒmen我们wǒmen吃chī得de差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō了le

For “almost done,” you need 得 de between the verb and 差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō.

❌ 我wǒ五點wǔ diǎn五点wǔ diǎn差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō會huì会huì到dào

✅ 我wǒ差不多chābùduō差不多chàbuduō五點wǔ diǎn五点wǔ diǎn會huì会huì到dào

For “about five o’clock,” 差不多 chābùduō差不多 chàbuduō goes before the time.

六 Practice

Tap the words below in the right order to build the sentence, then check your answer. If it’s wrong, you can try again as many times as you like, or hit “Show answer” if you get stuck. Careful: some tiles are traps and are not needed!

Question 1 of 10

“Our heights are about the same.”