Remember that 了 (le) is not only for the past! When something is about to happen, you can also indicate this using 了 (le). Normally it is paired with a 快 (kuài), 快要(kuàiyào) or a 要 (yào). This is a special form of using 了 to indicate a change of situation.
Structure
快+ Verb + 了
快要 + Verb + 了
快 + Adj. + 了
Subj. + 要 + Verb / Adj. + 了
Keywords
快 · 了 · 要 · about
Used for
Expressing time and date · Sequencing events in time · Referring to changes of situation
Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.