In this video lesson we'll learn a few sets of Time Words in Chinese, and focus on where to put a Time Word in Chinese sentences.
We have learned some Time Words before:
Today we'll learn more Time Words in Chinese:
YESTERDAY | TODAY | TOMORROW |
昨天 zuótiān |
今天 jīntiān |
明天 míngtiān |
LAST YEAR | THIS YEAR | NEXT YEAR |
去年 qùnián |
今年 jīnnián |
明年 míngnián |
LAST MONTH | THIS MONTH | NEXT MONTH |
上个月 shàngge yuè |
这个月 zhège yuè |
下个月 xiàge yuè |
LAST WEEK | THIS WEEK | NEXT WEEK |
上个星期 shàngge xīngqī |
这个星期 zhège xīngqī |
下个星期 xiàge xīngqī |
上周 shàngzhōu |
这周 zhèzhōu |
下周 xiàzhōu |
When we put a Time Word in a sentence, the Time Word can give us information about when the action takes place, or when a status persists.
In English the Time Word usually goes at the beginning or at the end of a sentence, but in Chinese it's different, we never put a Time Word at the end of a sentence. For example these are sentences with the wrong placement of Time Words in Chinese:
So where to put a Time Word in Chinese sentences? We usually① put a Time Word after the Subject and before the Predicate, which could be a verb(phrase) or an adjective (phrase):
These are some typical sentences with Time Words in Chinese:
❖ NOTE: ① Time Word can be used before the Subject as well, however for Beginner Chinese Level, we consider it a variation. When using a language, it is very common to have multiple acceptable variations for one type of expression. At beginner level, we recommend students to stick with the most common way of expression and gradually develop their language skill and be able to understand and use all variations. In more advanced levels, when we introduce a new grammar point, we will include more variations.
Remember we learned that sometimes a Noun can be used as a modifier of another Noun? For example:
Since Time Words are also nouns, they can be put before another noun (phrase) to function as a modifier by using the Descriptive Particle 的 between them:
For example:
When there are more than one Time Words together, the "bigger" ones go before the "smaller" one - the same rule as words that refer to places, the "bigger" places go before the "smaller" places. For example:
As someone who spent a lot of time ‘acquiring’ bits and pieces of spoken Chinese without any formal learning of reading or writing, it’s such a relief to finally learn these ‘time sequencing’ topics more concretely (same with the ‘relative positioning’ topic from the previous lesson). I think the idea of time flowing down (from above and going down to underneath) doesn’t really exist so literally in English. Thinking in terms of the English words ‘next’ and ‘last’ can interfere with understanding the use of 下and 上 in this context. Anyway, all that just to say that I’m grateful and that Lessons 15 and 16 have been very much appreciated.
As always you are able to teach topics with more details than others. So even having studied the topic of time intensively the last month at my language school, I was again enlightened by you.
Great! Thank you!
maybe instead of state, “period”???