Speaking • Making Plans
Talking About Time in Mandarin Chinese
Time expressions in Mandarin are logical and regular. Telling the time uses 点 (diǎn) for the hour and 分 (fēn) for minutes. Days of the week follow a numbered pattern (星期一 through 星期日). This page covers clock time, the calendar, past and future expressions, and how to talk about duration.
Asking the Time
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
现在几点？ | xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it now? |
几点了？ | jǐ diǎn le? | What time is it? (casual) |
三点 | sān diǎn | Three o'clock |
三点半 | sān diǎn bàn | Half past three / 3:30 |
三点一刻 | sān diǎn yī kè | Quarter past three / 3:15 |
差一刻四点 | chà yī kè sì diǎn | Quarter to four / 3:45 |
上午 / 下午 / 晚上 | shàngwǔ / xiàwǔ / wǎnshang | Morning / Afternoon / Evening |
中午十二点 | zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn | Noon / 12:00 midday |
Days, Weeks and Months
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
今天 / 明天 / 昨天 | jīntiān / míngtiān / zuótiān | Today / Tomorrow / Yesterday |
星期一 / 周一 | xīngqī yī / zhōu yī | Monday (星期 and 周 both work) |
这个星期 | zhège xīngqī | This week |
下个星期 | xià gè xīngqī | Next week |
上个月 / 这个月 / 下个月 | shàng gè yuè / zhège yuè / xià gè yuè | Last month / This month / Next month |
一月 / 二月 / 三月 | yī yuè / èr yuè / sān yuè | January / February / March (pattern: number + 月) |
今年 / 去年 / 明年 | jīnnián / qùnián / míngnián | This year / Last year / Next year |
Past and Future Time Expressions
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
刚才 | gāngcái | Just now / A moment ago |
以前 | yǐqián | Before / In the past |
最近 | zuìjìn | Recently / Lately |
等一下 | děng yīxià | In a moment / Wait a moment |
马上 | mǎshàng | Right away / Immediately |
以后 | yǐhòu | In the future / Later on |
将来 | jiānglái | In the future (formal / longer term) |
不久以后 | bùjiǔ yǐhòu | Soon / Before long |
Duration Phrases
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
多长时间？ | duō cháng shíjiān? | How long? (asking about duration) |
一个小时 | yī gè xiǎoshí | One hour |
半个小时 | bàn gè xiǎoshí | Half an hour |
两天 | liǎng tiān | Two days |
三个月 | sān gè yuè | Three months |
差不多…… | chà bù duō…… | Approximately… / About… (for approximate duration) |
大概需要一个小时。 | dàgài xūyào yī gè xiǎoshí. | It will take about one hour. |
Usage Notes
Unlike English, Mandarin time expressions come before the main verb: 我明天去 (I tomorrow go = I will go tomorrow). If a sentence has both a time and a place, time comes first: 我明天在家 (I tomorrow at home).
星期 (xīngqī) and 周 (zhōu) both mean 'week'. 星期一 = 周一 = Monday. 星期 is more common in speech; 周 is slightly shorter and common in writing and formal contexts. Sunday is 星期日 or 星期天 (colloquial).
Mandarin distinguishes duration (how long: 两天, two days) from point-in-time words (when: 明天, tomorrow). Duration words use 个 for months (三个月) but not usually for days (三天) or years (三年).
刚才 (gāngcái) is a time noun meaning 'just now': 刚才他来了 (He just came a moment ago). 刚 (gāng) is an adverb placed before the verb: 他刚来 (He just arrived). The two are subtly different in position.