本来
originally; at first (but then things changed)
Structure
主语 + 本来 + 动词 ，后来／可是……
What it means
本来 tells you how things were, or what was planned, at first, before things changed: “originally, at first, was going to”.
How it is built
Subject + 本来 + verb，后来／可是／现在 + how it turned out: 我本来想坐火车，后来坐了飞机 (I was going to take the train, but in the end I flew).
When to use it
It usually comes after the subject (他本来是农民，现在开出租车), though it can start the sentence (本来我想去…). The next part, with 后来, 可是 or 现在, says what changed.
Watch out
Don’t mix it up with 从来 “never” or 自从 “ever since”: ✗ 我从来想去，后来没去。 ✓ 我本来想去，后来没去。
Examples
我本来想坐火车，后来坐了飞机。
I was going to take the train, but in the end I flew.
他本来是农民，现在开出租车。
He used to be a farmer; now he drives a taxi.
这里本来是农村，现在成了城市的一部分。
This was countryside once; now it is part of the city.
Learn this in HSK 3 · Lesson 12: 我的家乡 (Hometown)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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