Basic time expressions and word order in Chinese
Basic time expressions in Chinese follow a consistent structure where the time words usually come either at the very beginning of the sentence or immediately after the subject. The standard word order for a sentence with a time expression is:
- Time + Subject + Verb + Object or
- Subject + Time + Verb + Object
For example:
- 昨天我去酒吧。 (Zuótiān wǒ qù jiǔbā.) - Yesterday I went to the bar.
- 我昨天去酒吧。 (Wǒ zuótiān qù jiǔbā.) - I went to the bar yesterday.
The time expressions themselves often include words like 今天 (jīntiān) for “today,” 明天 (míngtiān) for “tomorrow,” 昨天 (zuótiān) for “yesterday,” 去年 (qùnián) for “last year,” 下周 (xià zhōu) for “next week,” and more specific time units such as 年 (nián) for year, 月 (yuè) for month, 日/号 (rì/hào) for day, 时/時 (shí) for hour, 分 (fēn) for minute, and 秒 (miǎo) for second.
When expressing dates and times, Chinese usually lists from the largest unit to the smallest—year, month, day, then time of day. For instance:
- 2023年6月4日下午3点15分 (2023 nián 6 yuè 4 rì xiàwǔ 3 diǎn 15 fēn) means “3:15 PM, June 4, 2023.”
In questions or statements about time, the time phrase typically precedes the verb to specify when the action takes place.
In summary:
- Time words go at the beginning or just after the subject.
- Date and time are ordered from largest to smallest units.
- Common basic time expressions should be placed before the verb for natural Chinese sentence flow.
This structure is essential for clear communication about time in Chinese sentences.