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Intermediate

Time & Time Words

Position of time and duration

Time-when goes before the verb

Expressions for 'when' precede the verb.

💬 Examples
我明天去。
Wǒ míngtiān qù.
I'll go tomorrow.
📝 Time before the verb
明天我有空。
Míngtiān wǒ yǒu kòng.
Tomorrow I'm free.
📝 Time can also open the sentence
Duration goes after the verb

Expressions for 'how long' follow the verb.

📊 Time vs duration
Type Position Example
time-when before the verb 明天去
duration after the verb 学了三年
💬 Examples
我学了三年。
Wǒ xuéle sān nián.
I studied for three years.
📝 Duration after the verb
我等了一个小时。
Wǒ děngle yí ge xiǎoshí.
I waited an hour.
📝 Duration follows
Dates go big-to-small

Year, month, day, then time of day.

💬 Examples
五月一日
wǔ yuè yī rì
May 1st
📝 month then day
现在三点。
Xiànzài sān diǎn.
It's three o'clock now.
📝 点 = o'clock