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.
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 transcribed gānggangmeaning just after the time phrase. For example, let's look at this example here:
Let's add the words
刚刚 transcribed gānggāng to emphasize that the plane just took off ten minutes ago:
飞机十分钟前刚刚起飞了 transcribed fēijī shí fēnzhōng qián gānggang qǐfēi le
Talking about the past using 了 (le)
Mandarin simply uses the particle 了 transcribed 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”).
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 transcribed hěn jiǔ yǐqián, 从前 transcribed cóngqián, and 以前 transcribed yǐqián are all used to refer to the past. 很久以前 transcribed hěn jiǔ yǐqián and 从前 transcribed 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 transcribed 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.
以前，他很讨厌吃鱼。 transcribed yǐqián, tā hěn tǎoyàn chī yú
他以前很讨厌吃鱼。 transcribed 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 transcribed jīntiānmeaning today, this day and 今年 transcribed jīn'niánmeaning 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？ transcribed 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？ transcribed 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 transcribed dōumeaning 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.
Talking about approximate time
To say “around” or to approximate a given time, use:
There’s no time like the present, so get ready for some practice with telling time in Mandarin! 现在就行动吧！ transcribed xiànzài jiù xíngdòng bameaning Let’s do it!
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