Level 3 · Intermediate
Again: 又 vs 再
又 + Verb + 了 / 再 + Verb
Both mean "again", split by time. 又 (yòu) is for a repeat that ALREADY happened: 他又来了 "he came again" — usually with 了, often with an eye-roll. 再 (zài) is for a repeat that hasn't happened YET: 请再说一次 "please say it again".
So requests, plans, and futures take 再; complaints and reports about the past take 又. Mixing them up (明天我又来) is one of the most common intermediate slips.
Examples
他今天又来了。
他今天又來了。
tā jīn tiān yòu lái le
He came again today.
请再说一次。
請再說一次。
qǐng zài shuō yī cì
Please say it one more time.
昨天下雨，今天又下雨了。
zuó tiān xià yǔ jīn tiān yòu xià yǔ le
It rained yesterday, and it rained again today.
这个电影很好看，我想再看一次。
這個電影很好看，我想再看一次。
zhè ge diàn yǐng hěn hǎo kàn wǒ xiǎng zài kàn yī cì
This movie is really good — I want to watch it again.
Common mistakes
✗ 明天我又来。
✓ 明天我再来。
Future repeats use 再 — 又 is only for repeats that already happened.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: Chapter 7: Three Battles with the White Bone Demon — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
