Meaning of 才 in these two sentences

Hi Guys,

I was wondering what 才 does in enhancing the meaning of these sentences.

Do both of the sentences suggest that the person was able to get to their destination faster than expected?

我骑自行车去学校, 才10分钟就到了。
他今天走路去学校, 走了40分钟才到。

Thank you for your help.

Giri
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They are different. 

In  the first sentence ,才 means "only" ,I only spent 10 minutes,it's faster than my expection!But the emotion what  才 express are diverse in different setences.

e.g.

1.这些东西才花了100元。(才 express the same emotion with your first sentence,there is little surprise or satisfaction,it's better than my expection.)

2.我每个月的工资才2000元。(It means I complain my salary is low,it make me unsatisfy)

But in  second the sentence,才 means "It's so late!"

e.g.

我昨晚12点才睡。

你怎么才来？（When a friend is late for your appointment,u can use it! ）

Hope it helps you ,though my English is not so well.:)

Meaning of 才 in these two sentences

Hi Guys,

I was wondering what 才 does in enhancing the meaning of these sentences.

Do both of the sentences suggest that the person was able to get to their destination faster than expected?

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No, the meanings of 才 in these two sentences are different, though both are adverb.

我骑自行车去学校, 才10分钟就到了。才: 仅仅, only. eg.这本书才10元

他今天走路去学校, 走了40分钟才到。 才: Later than expected. eg. 怎么才来?

Meaning of 才 in these two sentences

Hi Guys,

I was wondering what 才 does in enhancing the meaning of these sentences.

Do both of the sentences suggest that the person was able to get to their destination faster than expected?

我骑自行车去学校, 才10分钟就到了。
他今天走路去学校, 走了40分钟才到。

Thank you for your help.

Giri

In the first sentence，才 means people spent less time than expected. But in the second one, 才 means people spent more time than expected.

There is a Chinese website, it explains the using of 才 clearly, but it's too complex to translate in English.....

http://edu.clcn.net.cn/fudao/20041105/fuci.htm