Where Time Words Go in a Sentence

Rule from Pillar 6: time words come before the verb, not after. Two valid positions:

• Position 1 -- start of sentence (for emphasis): Míngtiān wǒ qù Běijīng = Tomorrow, I'm going to Beijing.
• Position 2 -- after subject, before verb (neutral): Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng = I'm going to Beijing tomorrow.

Both are correct. Position 1 emphasises the time; position 2 is the default. Never put time after the verb (*wǒ qù Běijīng míngtiān is wrong).

Yesterday / Today / Tomorrow Family

Same pattern with weeks (xiğngqī) and months (yuè):

• shàng gè xiāngqī = last week
• zhè gè xiāngqī = this week
• xià gè xiāngqī = next week
• shàng gè yuè = last month
• zhè gè yuè = this month
• xià gè yuè = next month

For years: qù nián = last year. jīn nián = this year. míng nián = next year. Note: no gè for years.

Days of the Week

Days are formed by xiāngqī (week) + a number. Monday is "week-one", Tuesday is "week-two", etc.

Sunday is the exception -- not xiāngqīqī. Use tiān (colloquial) or rì (formal/written).

Alternatives you'll hear: zhōuī/zhōuèr/.../zhōurì (周一, 周二...) -- same meaning, more common in mainland China newspapers and tech sectors.

Months

Simplest system in the language: yuè (月, month) + a number.

• yī yuè = January
• èr yuè = February
• sān yuè = March
• ...
• shí yuè = October
• shíyī yuè = November
• shíèr yuè = December

No month names to memorise. Number + yuè works for all 12.

Years & Dates

Year format

Read each digit, then add nián (年, year).

• 2026 = èr-líng-èr-liù nián
• 1989 = yī-jiǔ-bā-jiǔ nián
• 2000 = èr-líng-líng-líng nián

Do not read years as full numbers. 2026 is "two-zero-two-six", not "two thousand twenty-six".

Date format -- year, month, day (largest to smallest)

Chinese dates run big-to-small, opposite of UK and most US formats.

• 2026 nián 6 yuè 3 hào = 3 June 2026
• 2025 nián 12 yuè 25 rì = 25 December 2025

hào (号) is colloquial; rì (日) is formal/written. Both mean "day of the month".

Clock Time

Word order: hour + diǎn + minutes. "It's now 3 o'clock" = xiànzài sān diǎn.

Common time-of-day modifiers: shàngwǔ (morning before noon), zhōngwǔ (noon), xiàwǔ (afternoon), wǎnshang (evening), yè (late night). They go before the clock time: xiàwǔ sān diǎn = 3pm.

Duration -- "For How Long"

Duration sits after the verb (this is the exception to the "time before verb" rule).

• wǒ xuéxí le liǎng nián = I studied for two years
• tā shìjīe le yī gè xiǎoshí = he slept for an hour
• wǒ zài Zhōngguo zhù le sān nián = I have lived in China for three years

If the verb has an object, you usually repeat the verb: wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén xuéxí le liǎng nián -- or use the de structure: wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén xuéxí de hěn jiǔ.

Frequency -- "How Often"

Frequency words go before the verb: wǒ měitiān pǎobu = I run every day. wǒ chángcháng chī Zhōngguo cài = I often eat Chinese food.

Before / After / During

• ...yǐqián = before...: chī fàn yǐqián = before eating
• ...yǐhòu = after...: xià kè yǐhòu = after class
• ...de shíhou = when / during...: wǒ xiǎo de shíhou = when I was little
• ...zhī qián / zhī hòu = before / after (more formal): míngtiān zhī qián = before tomorrow

These all come at the start of a subordinate clause: "Before I eat, I wash my hands" = chī fàn yǐqián, wǒ xǐ shǒu.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do time words go before the verb in Chinese?

Because Chinese sentence structure is Time-Place-Verb-Object. The "when" is treated as setting for the action, like a stage direction, so it comes before the action.

Why is "two o'clock" liǎng diǎn, not èr diǎn?

liǎng is the form of "two" used for counting things. èr is the abstract number. Clock times count hours, so liǎng wins. Same rule applies to "two of anything" in Chinese.

What's the difference between hào (号) and rì (日) for dates?

Same meaning. hào is colloquial/spoken; rì is formal/written. "3 June" can be 6 yuè 3 hào (chatting) or 6 yuè 3 rì (newspaper, official document).

Is duration really after the verb? That breaks the "time before verb" rule.

Yes, this is the exception. "When" goes before the verb; "for how long" goes after. The logic: "when" sets the scene, "duration" is a result of the action.

How do I say "I have lived here for 3 years and still live here"?

Add le at the end: wǒ zài zhèr zhù le sān nián le = I have lived here for three years (and still do). Without the final le it could mean a completed three-year period in the past.

Do I need to know both xiāngqī and zhōu for days of the week?

Recognise both, use whichever your environment uses. xiāngqī is taught in textbooks first; zhōu is more common in mainland workplaces and digital writing.

Why is Sunday xiāngqītiān and not xiāngqīqī?

Historical convention. Sunday is "the day of the week" rather than "day seven". Most languages treat Sunday as special; Chinese is no exception.

Practice Time Phrases in Real Sentences -- Free on BizHan

BizHan Translate accepts dates, times and durations and shows the correct Chinese form. Save the patterns you use most to your notebook for SRS review.

Open BizHan Translate