再 or 又: again, ahead or behind
Both can mean “again”. 再 normally points to a planned or next repetition; 又 marks recurrence relative to a reference point and does not itself require 了.
Structure
再 + 动词（预期／下一次） ｜ 又 + 动词（相对参照点再次发生）
Explanation
Chinese words in this text can be activated to show a dictionary gloss.
normally looks forward to a repetition that is still to come: “Let’s talk tomorrow”, “I’ll come again next month”, “Please say it again.” presents recurrence relative to a reference point and commonly reports something that has happened: , ！ Neither adverb mechanically requires or forbids ; the aspect or sentence-final particle is chosen for its own function. can also occur with an anticipated recurrence, especially with or : “Tomorrow there is class again.”
For a simple request, is the normal choice because the requested repetition lies ahead. also marks the next step in a sequence — ， — and means “more, in addition”: , . With a modal verb it follows the modal: .
also appears in ……, where it links parallel qualities rather than repeating an event.
Correct
Say each one out loud before moving on. The audio is a reference pronunciation, not a model to imitate exactly — match the tone contour, not the voice.
明天再说吧。明天再說吧。
Míngtiān (second tone, rising) zài (fourth tone, falling) shuō (first tone, high and level) ba. (neutral tone)···
Let’s talk about it again tomorrow.
他昨天又迟到了。他昨天又遲到了。
Tā (first tone, high and level) zuótiān (second tone, rising) yòu (fourth tone, falling) chídào (second tone, rising) le. (neutral tone)···
He was late again yesterday.
请再说一遍，好吗？請再說一遍，好嗎？
Qǐng (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) shuō (first tone, high and level) yí (second tone, rising) biàn, (fourth tone, falling) hǎo (third tone, dipping) ma? (neutral tone)···
Could you say that once more, please?
Incorrect — Common mistakes
These sentences are wrong. They are printed here on purpose, each one paired with the repair and the reason, because the error you can recognise is the error you stop making.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 他昨天再迟到了。
Correct
Correct sentence: 他昨天又迟到了。
Why: The lateness already happened, so the word is 又 — and it keeps its 了. 再 can only point at a repetition still to come.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 请又说一遍。
Correct
Correct sentence: 请再说一遍。
Why: A request concerns something that has not happened yet, so it always takes 再. 又 cannot appear in an instruction or a plea.
Not quite
Incorrect sentence: 我明天又来。
Correct
Correct sentence: 我明天再来。
Why: Tomorrow has not happened, so the forward-looking word 再 is required. 又 would place the visit in the past.
Compared with
Most errors with this pattern are not errors about this pattern — they are a neighbouring pattern arriving at the wrong moment. Read these side by side.
The 又 of 又…又… is not the “again” 又. In 这个房间又大又亮 nothing is repeated: the two 又 simply link two qualities of one room. The giveaway is that repetition-又 appears once and normally drags a 了 along with it (他又迟到了), whereas paired-又 appears twice and never takes 了. If you see a single 又 with 了 at the end, it means “again”; if you see two 又 with bare adjectives between them, it means “both”.
Both this and that: 又…又… →Often confused with
Steps in order: 先…然后…再…
（主语）+ 先 + 动词1，然后 + 动词2 ｜ （主语）+ 先 + 动词1，（主语）+ 再 + 动词2
More →Mini quiz
Question 1 / 3Total score: 0
Choose the word that fits: the speaker is asking for a repetition now.
对不起，请 ___ 说一遍。