How do I say 'soon'?
The natural way to say something is about to happen or almost finished — warm and reassuring.
快了
Soon / almost done / nearly there.
Almost there / nearly.
Soon / almost done / nearly there.
WHEN IT FITS
快了 is built on 快 (fast / almost) + 了 (change of state). Together they mean “it’s nearly there” — the state is about to change. This pattern extends across Chinese: 快到了 (almost arrived), 快吃完了 (almost finished eating), 快结束了 (almost over).
The warmth of 快了 comes from its vagueness: it communicates progress without committing to an exact minute. When someone asks if you’re ready, 快了 is more natural than giving a precise time estimate that may be wrong.
马上 (literally “on the horse”) is for when you mean right now — getting up, heading out, responding immediately. It is stronger than 快了 and implies the action has already begun.
The 快…了 sandwich (快 + situation + 了) is the standard way to say something is about to happen: 快下雨了 (it’s about to rain), 快过年了 (Chinese New Year is coming soon). This pattern is worth internalizing as a unit.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
饭快好了，再等一下。
The food is almost ready — just a bit longer.
Almost ready夏天快到了。
Summer is almost here.
Seasonal predictionCHOOSE BY SITUATION
马上
Right away / immediately.
The action will happen in the next few moments尽快
As soon as possible.
Formal request for urgency — 请尽快回复 = Please reply ASAP