Mandarin Chinese handles time primarily through aspect markers and time words rather than verb conjugation, so you learn time by paying attention to particles like le, guò, and zài alongside contextual clues.
Past
The particle le (了) signals a completed action when added after a verb or at sentence end, marking that something has happened. For ongoing experience can be marked with guò (过).
Vocabulary
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday | |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before / formerly | |
| 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | last month | |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year | |
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 | qù | to go (usually implies past when context is clear) | |
| 🍽️ | chīle | ate | |
| 🛏️ | shuìjiào | slept | |
| 📖 | kànle | read (finished) | |
| 🗣️ | shuōle | said |
Examples
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 我昨天去了学校。 | Wǒ zuótiān qùle xuéxiào. | I went to school yesterday. | |
| 🍽️ 我吃了晚饭。 | Wǒ chīle wǎnfàn. | I ate dinner. | |
| 🛏️ 他睡觉了。 | Tā shuìjiàole. | He went to sleep. | |
| 📖 她看了那本书。 | Tā kànle nà běn shū. | She read that book. | |
| 🗣️ 老师说了作业。 | Lǎoshī shuōle zuòyè. | The teacher gave (said) homework. |
Grammar
Using le (了) right after the verb marks completion and adding a time word like 昨天 (zuótiān) makes the past time explicit. The particle guò (过) emphasizes past experience rather than a single event.
Present
The habitual or ongoing present is shown by simple verb form, sometimes with time expressions like 现在 (xiànzài) for "now". The particle zài (在) before a verb highlights an action in progress.
Vocabulary
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 现在 | xiànzài | now | |
| 正在 | zhèngzài | (action) happening now | |
| 平时 | píngshí | normally / usually | |
| 每天 | měitiān | every day | |
| 时候 | shíhou | time / moment |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 | qù | to go | |
| 🍽️ | chī | to eat | |
| 🛏️ | shuì | to sleep | |
| 📖 | kàn | to read/look/watch | |
| 🗣️ | shuō | to say/speak |
Examples
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 我现在去学校。 | Wǒ xiànzài qù xuéxiào. | I am going to school now. | |
| 🍽️ 我正在吃午饭。 | Wǒ zhèngzài chī wǔfàn. | I am eating lunch. | |
| 🛏️ 他在睡觉。 | Tā zài shuìjiào. | He is sleeping. | |
| 📖 她看书呢。 | Tā kàn shū ne. | She is reading a book. | |
| 🗣️ 老师正在说话。 | Lǎoshī zhèngzài shuōhuà. | The teacher is speaking. |
Grammar
Use zài (在) + verb to show an action happening at this moment and time words like 现在 (xiànzài) to situate the event. For habitual actions just use the bare verb form with words like 平时 (píngshí).
Future
Time adverbs and modal verbs express future intent more than tense endings. Words like 明天 (míngtiān) and constructions with 要 (yào), 打算 (dǎsuàn), or 会 (huì) signal planned or expected actions.
Vocabulary
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | later / afterwards | |
| 下个月 | xià ge yuè | next month | |
| 将来 | jiānglái | in the future | |
| 快要 | kuài yào | about to / soon |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 | qù | to go | |
| 🍽️ | chī | to eat | |
| 🛏️ | shuì | to sleep | |
| 📖 | kàn | to read/watch | |
| 🗣️ | shuō | to say |
Examples
| Hanzi Sentence | Pinyin Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏫 我明天要去学校。 | Wǒ míngtiān yào qù xuéxiào. | I will go to school tomorrow. | |
| 🍽️ 我打算吃晚饭。 | Wǒ dǎsuàn chī wǎnfàn. | I plan to eat dinner. | |
| 🛏️ 他要早点睡觉。 | Tā yào zǎodiǎn shuìjiào. | He wants to go to bed early. | |
| 📖 她准备看电影。 | Tā zhǔnbèi kàn diànyǐng. | She is getting ready to watch a movie. | |
| 🗣️ 老师会说新消息。 | Lǎoshī huì shuō xīn xiāoxi. | The teacher will announce news. |
Grammar
Use time words like 明天 (míngtiān) plus modal verbs such as yào (要) for intention or huì (会) for likelihood to express future plans. Adding dǎsuàn (打算) before a verb makes the plan explicit.
Summary
Mandarin marks time mainly through aspect particles le*, *guò*, *zài and time expressions rather than verb endings. Learn to spot these cues so you can place actions in past, present, or future with natural sentences.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025