就 question

[murrayjames]

I'm currently working through NPCR2. In Lesson 16 (p.36) they have the following example:

下个月我就回美国去了。

是吗？ 这次你在美国要住多长时间？

I've understood 就 to indicate 1) an emphasis, or 2) immediacy to a particular action. But in this case, neither makes sense. What does 就 mean here?

I'm also confused by the 了 in the first sentence. His returning to America is next month, and therefore not yet completed. Does it mean something like this?

"Next month I will have returned to America."

Thank you,

-murrayjames

[murrayjames]

Oops, I saw the grammar sticky and went through it. Looks like both 就 and 了 are covered.

Since 了 appears at the end of the sentence, it indicates a change of state, right? The speaker isn't in America; but in a month, he will be.

For 就 I still don't understand the meaning.

[bobneudecker]

Looks like you are in exactly the same place in NPCR2 as I am. And I had the same issues that you reported.

[renzhe]

it indicates a change of state, right

Yes. He will change his location.

For 就 I still don't understand the meaning.

It's for emphasis here. Makes it a bit more colourful.

[murrayjames]

Thank you, renzhe.

[Gao Gao]

hi, renzhe. Don't you think here between 就 and 回, we leave out this word 要？And I think 就要 means "be about to".

[Hanlink]

I think that it is easier to understand the 就 here as simply indicating a progression of events, an 'and then, or 'then'. It is often used after time phrases. The other preposition often used after time phrases is 才 'only then'.

[muyongshi]

Without knowing the full context of the conversation it's hard to say exactly. If he was talking about his order of plans for the next month and then he will go to the states the 就 indicates the progression of events "then".

If somebody was confused and like "why are you here? I thought you had left?" Then it would be an emphasis type thing like "next month THEN i'll go back"

Or the third alternative [which is the most natural to me without more context- and btw my parenthesis aren't working so i am using brackets] would be the meaning of 就要, indicating the about to of the time.

[renzhe]

That's the problem -- there is no context, it's an exercise (at the beginner level), and 就 can mean so many things.

But you're right, 就要 would really fit.

[yan420honggg]

了here states a to-be fact.

就here can be explained as sth will happen soon(from te speaker's point of view).

So ,就 in this sentence emphasizes the fact that there are only one month left,after that he will go back to America.