When learning Chinese, mastering time expressions is essential for daily conversations, scheduling, and understanding context. Unlike English, Chinese often places time expressions at the beginning of a sentence, and the structure is usually flexible but logical.
Here are some essential phrases and examples to help beginners confidently talk about time.
Days of the Week in Chinese
The seven days of the week are simple to learn. Chinese uses 星期 (xīngqī) followed by a number for Monday through Sunday.
Monday (星期一, xīngqī yī) – 星期一我去上班 (xīngqī yī wǒ qù shàngbān) – On Monday, I go to work.
Tuesday (星期二, xīngqī èr) – 星期二我们有会议 (xīngqī èr wǒmen yǒu huìyì) – On Tuesday, we have a meeting.
Wednesday (星期三, xīngqī sān) – 星期三他去机场 (xīngqī sān tā qù jīchǎng) – On Wednesday, he goes to the airport (机场, jī chǎng).
Thursday (星期四, xīngqī sì) – 星期四晚上我去朋友家 (xīngqī sì wǎnshàng wǒ qù péngyǒu jiā) – On Thursday evening, I visit my friend.
Friday (星期五, xīngqī wǔ) – 星期五我们一起吃晚饭 (xīngqī wǔ wǒmen yīqǐ chī wǎnfàn) – On Friday, we have dinner together.
Saturday (星期六, xīngqī liù) – 星期六我休息 (xīngqī liù wǒ xiūxí) – On Saturday, I rest.
Sunday (星期日, xīngqī rì) – 星期日他去公园跑步 (xīngqī rì tā qù gōngyuán pǎobù) – On Sunday, he goes jogging in the park.
Talking About Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday
These expressions are very common in conversations.
Today (今天, jīntiān) – 今天我很忙 (jīntiān wǒ hěn máng) – Today I am very busy.
Tomorrow (明天, míngtiān) – 明天我们去看电影 (míngtiān wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng) – Tomorrow we are going to watch a movie.
Yesterday (昨天, zuótiān) – 昨天来的客户 (zuótiān lái de kèhù) – Yesterday the client came.
Using Time of Day Expressions
Chinese divides the day into morning, afternoon, evening, and night.
Morning (早上, zǎoshang) – 早上我喝咖啡 (zǎoshang wǒ hē kāfēi) – In the morning, I drink coffee.
Noon (中午, zhōngwǔ) – 中午我们吃午饭 (zhōngwǔ wǒmen chī wǔfàn) – At noon, we eat lunch.
Afternoon (下午, xiàwǔ) – 下午他去图书馆 (xiàwǔ tā qù túshūguǎn) – In the afternoon, he goes to the library.
Evening (晚上, wǎnshàng) – 晚上我学习中文 (wǎnshàng wǒ xuéxí zhōngwén) – In the evening, I study Chinese.
Night (夜里, yèlǐ) – 夜里他睡得很好 (yèlǐ tā shuì de hěn hǎo) – At night, he sleeps very well.
Talking About Time Frequency
Some useful words indicate frequency:
Always (总是, zǒngshì) – 他总是早起 (tā zǒngshì zǎoqǐ) – He always gets up early.
Often (经常, jīngcháng) – 我经常去超市 (wǒ jīngcháng qù chāoshì) – I often go to the supermarket.
Sometimes (有时候, yǒu shíhou) – 有时候我去咖啡店 (yǒu shíhou wǒ qù kāfēidiàn) – Sometimes I go to the café.
Rarely (很少, hěn shǎo) – 他很少看电视 (tā hěn shǎo kàn diànshì) – He rarely watches TV.
Never (从不, cóng bù) – 我从不迟到 (wǒ cóng bù chídào) – I never arrive late.
Using Time in Questions
To ask about time, these expressions are common:
What time (几点, jǐ diǎn) – 现在几点？(xiànzài jǐ diǎn) – What time is it now?
When (什么时候, shénme shíhou) – 你什么时候回家？(nǐ shénme shíhou huí jiā) – When are you going home?
How long (多久, duō jiǔ) – 你学中文学了多久？(nǐ xué zhōngwén xué le duō jiǔ) – How long have you been learning Chinese?
Using Time with Actions
Chinese often puts time expressions at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject and verb:
昨天我去图书馆 (zuótiān wǒ qù túshūguǎn) – Yesterday I went to the library.
明天他要开会 (míngtiān tā yào kāihuì) – Tomorrow he has a meeting.
晚上我们一起吃饭 (wǎnshàng wǒmen yīqǐ chīfàn) – Tonight we will have dinner together.
Talking About Past, Present, and Future
Past (过去, guòqù) – 过去我住在北京 (guòqù wǒ zhù zài Běijīng) – In the past, I lived in Beijing.
Present (现在, xiànzài) – 我现在在学习中文 (wǒ xiànzài zài xuéxí zhōngwén) – I am currently studying Chinese.
Future (将来, jiānglái) – 将来我想去中国旅行 (jiānglái wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó lǚxíng) – In the future, I want to travel to China.
Common Time-Related Phrases
A few extra phrases that appear in daily life:
Right now (马上, mǎshàng) – 我马上出门 (wǒ mǎshàng chūmén) – I am leaving right now.
Later (以后, yǐhòu) – 以后我们再聊 (yǐhòu wǒmen zài liáo) – Let’s talk later.
Recently (最近, zuìjìn) – 最近我很忙 (zuìjìn wǒ hěn máng) – I have been busy recently.
Early (早, zǎo) – 你今天起得很早 (nǐ jīntiān qǐ de hěn zǎo) – You got up very early today.
Late (晚, wǎn) – 他来得很晚 (tā lái de hěn wǎn) – He arrived very late.
New Words from This Blog-Post
- 昨天来的客户 (zuótiān lái de kèhù) – Yesterday the client came
- 机场 (jī chǎng) – Airport
- 今天 (jīntiān) – Today
- 明天 (míngtiān) – Tomorrow
- 早上 (zǎoshang) – Morning
- 中午 (zhōngwǔ) – Noon
- 下午 (xiàwǔ) – Afternoon
- 晚上 (wǎnshàng) – Evening
- 总是 (zǒngshì) – Always
- 经常 (jīngcháng) – Often
- 很少 (hěn shǎo) – Rarely
- 从不 (cóng bù) – Never
- 什么时候 (shénme shíhou) – When
- 多久 (duō jiǔ) – How long
- 将来 (jiānglái) – Future
This guide gives beginners a solid foundation to talk about time confidently in Chinese, helping with daily conversations, scheduling, and storytelling.
