Chinese Grammar: Lesson: Expressing “once then” & “as soon as”

As soon as Lupishu started studying Chinese, he couldn't stop speaking Chinese with his friends. Did that happen to you, guys? Once you begin to learn Chinese, you soon fall in love with learning Chinese. It’s cool! Now, you are wondering how to say “once then” and “as soon as” in Chinese, I guess!?

Let see how to use them and if there are any differences between the two.

Expressing “once then” with 一旦...就

一旦...就 is a pattern you can use to indicate certain conditions. As a result, this pattern expresses cause and effect. It shows that after a specific situation occurred, a consequence happened. This grammar structure is perfect to say once something has happened, something else will happen later.

Structure

一旦 + Certain condition, Subject + 就 + Consequence

Examples

一旦他 走 了，你就可以 安心 的 看 电视 了。
Once he leaves, you can watch TV at ease.

一旦你 说出 口，他就会 生气。
Once you speak up to say that, he will be angry.

一旦刮风，这里就会 非常 冷。
Once the wind starts blowing, it’ll get cold here.

Expressing “as soon as” with 一...就

The difference between 一旦...就 and 一...就 is time. This latter pattern is used to convey that one thing happened and another thing happened right afterward. Its use is similar to "as soon as" in English, i.e., something happening quickly after one thing happened. 一...就 is the structure you need to indicate events in rapid succession.

Structure

一 + Event 1 + 就 + Event 2

Examples

我一拿 到 书就给 你。
I will give it to you as soon as I get the book.

我一看 到 他就告诉 你。
I’ll tell you as soon as I see him.

妈妈一走 孩子就开始 看 电视。
As soon as his mother left, the kid began to watch TV.

一旦....就 can be used to talk about potential consequences and things that must not happen. However, the pattern 一.....就 is used for things that may have occurred or may not have occurred.