time + 左右 (zuǒyòu, or so, about)
Mandarin Chinese Articles
What are the differences between time adverbials in Mandarin Chinese
By: Lina Shen Thu Jan 04 2024
Mandarin chineseAdverbs
Time (the past, present, and future) in Mandarin is indicated by using adverbial time expressions. In this post, we will add some more detail on the differences between adverbials in Mandarin and get into the nitty-gritty of this topic a bit by adding some useful vocabulary to your roster.
Table of Contents
Talking about time in the past using 刚刚 (gānggang, “just”)
When we need to emphasize that something just happened, we simply add the words 刚刚 (gānggang, just) after the time phrase. For example, let's look at this example here:
飞机十分钟前起飞了
(fēijī shí fēnzhōng qián qǐfēi le)
The plane took off ten minutes ago.
Let's add the words
刚刚 (gānggāng) to emphasize that the plane just took off ten minutes ago:
飞机十分钟前刚刚起飞了 (fēijī shí fēnzhōng qián gānggang qǐfēi le)
Talking about the past using 了 (le)
Mandarin simply uses the particle 了 (le) to mark completed actions and omits it otherwise, unlike English, which marks statements about past time as either completed (e.g., “Yesterday I hurt my leg”) or not completed (e.g., “I was reading a book”).
我看了这本书。
(Wǒ kànle zhèběn shū.)
I read the book.
For more details, check out this post on the aspectual particles in Mandarin.
Talking about time in the past using 很久以前, 从前, and 以前
很久以前 (hěn jiǔ yǐqián), 从前 (cóngqián), and 以前 (yǐqián) are all used to refer to the past. 很久以前 (hěn jiǔ yǐqián) and 从前 (cóngqián) are often used to refer to “a time long, long ago,” and they are mostly used in the beginning of a sentence, as well as when telling a story, while 从前 (cóngqián) is closer to the present, meaning “previously,” “...ago,” or “before.” It can be placed at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.
很久以前，这里发生过地震。
(hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zhèli fāshēng guò dìzhèn)
A long time ago, an earthquake happened here.
从前，有一个女孩叫灰姑娘。
(cóngqián, yǒu yí ge nǚhái jiào huīgū’niang.)
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cinderella.
以前，他很讨厌吃鱼。 (yǐqián, tā hěn tǎoyàn chī yú)
他以前很讨厌吃鱼。 (tā yǐqián hěn tǎoyàn chī yú)
He used to hate eating fish. (literally, He hated eating fish before
Talking about the future and past using 今天 (jīntiān) and 今年 (jīn'nián)
今天 (jīntiān, today, this day) and 今年 (jīn'nián, this year) are not only used for present tense in Mandarin Chinese; they can also be used when stating future plans or even mentioning past events. For example:
Time | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
future plans | 你今天傍晚几点和他见面？ (nǐ jīntiān bàngwǎn jǐdiǎn hé tā jiàn miàn) | What time are you going to meet him this evening? |
past events | 你今天学中文了吗？ (nǐ jīntiān xué zhōngwén le ma) | Did you study Chinese today? |
Talking about the present using 都 (dōu)
When we are talking about something that happens regularly, especially with time phrases such as “every day,” “every week,” “every month,” and “every year” (see examples below), the word 都 (dōu, all, both) is added to emphasize the frequency. It would be totally redundant and unnecessary to add “all, both” in English, but it is totally natural in Chinese.
你们每天都学习汉语吗？
(nǐmen měi tiān dōu xuéxí hànyǔ ma)
Do you study Chinese every day?
我每星期都去健身房。
(wǒ měi xīngqī dōu qù jiànshēnfáng)
I go to the gym every week.
他们每年都去海边度假。
(tāmen měi nián dōu qù hǎibiān dùjiào)
They go on a vacation to the beach every year.
Talking about approximate time
To say “around” or to approximate a given time, use:
毕业典礼明天下午三点左右开始。
(bìyè diǎnlǐ míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn zuǒyòu kāishǐ)
The graduation ceremony will start at about 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.
我们六点半左右到火车站。
(wǒmen liù diǎn bàn zuǒyòu dào huǒchē zhàn)
We will arrive at the train station around 6:30.
There’s no time like the present, so get ready for some practice with telling time in Mandarin! 现在就行动吧！ (xiànzài jiù xíngdòng ba, Let’s do it!)
Downloadable Resources
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How to express past, present, and future in Mandarin Chinese~Activities
