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Mandarin Chinese 2 Unit 6: Time, Duration and Frequency

Chinese separates the point in time when something happens (before the verb) from how long or how often it happens (after the verb). Getting this word order right is central to second-year tests.

Covers: Time-when before the verb, Duration after the verb, Duration with objects, Duration so far with double 了, Frequency with 次, 遍 and 趟, 以前, 以后, 的时候 and 从…到

Study guide

A time-when expression tells when an action happens and goes before the verb, either right after the subject or at the start of the sentence: 我早上七点半起床 or 早上七点半我起床. Bigger units come first: 二〇二六年十月五号上午九点. Clock times use 点 (o'clock), 分 (minutes), 半 (half) and 刻 (quarter): 三点一刻 is 3:15 and 差五分八点 is 7:55. Time-when phrases also include clauses with 以前 (before), 以后 (after) and 的时候 (when): 吃饭以前, 下课以后, 我小的时候. Unlike English, these always come before the main verb.

A duration expression tells how long an action lasts and goes after the verb: 我睡了八个小时 (I slept for eight hours), 他等了二十分钟. Common duration words are 分钟, 个小时 (or 个钟头), 天, 个星期, 个月 and 年. Note that 小时 and 星期 and 月 take 个, while 天 and 年 do not. To figure out a duration from two clock times, subtract: from 9:30 to 11:00 is an hour and a half, 一个半小时. 从…到… marks a starting and ending point: 我从九点到十一点上课.

When the verb has an object, duration cannot simply follow the object. You can repeat the verb: 我学中文学了两年. Or place the duration between the verb and a general object, often with 的: 我学了两年(的)中文. If the object is a pronoun or a person, the duration follows the object: 我等了他半个小时. To show that an action has lasted up to now and is still continuing, add sentence-final 了: 我学了两年中文了 (I've been studying Chinese for two years, and still am). Compare 我学了两年中文, which can mean the study is over. For actions that did not happen, put the duration before 没: 我两天没睡好了.

Frequency words also go after the verb. 次 counts occurrences (去过三次), 遍 counts complete times from start to finish (请再说一遍, 这本书我看了两遍), and 趟 counts round trips (我去了一趟超市). With a place or thing object, frequency can go before or after it: 我去过两次北京 / 我去过北京两次. With a pronoun, frequency follows the pronoun: 我见过他一次. To describe regular habits, use 每 + time + 都: 我每天都跑步, or 一 + time + number + 次: 我一个星期去三次健身房 (three times a week).

Key ideas

• Time-when phrases go before the verb; durations and frequencies go after it.
• Larger time units come before smaller ones.
• With an object, repeat the verb or place the duration before the object.
• Pronoun objects come before the duration or frequency.
• Double 了 with duration means the action has lasted up to now and continues.
• Duration + 没 + verb + 了 describes how long something has not happened.
• 次 counts times, 遍 counts complete run-throughs and 趟 counts trips.

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Putting a duration before the verb, as in 我两个小时学习了.
• Putting a time-when phrase at the end, as in 我起床七点.
• Placing the duration after a bare object, as in 我学中文两年.
• Forgetting 个 with 小时, 星期 and 月, or adding it to 天 and 年.
• Putting frequency before a pronoun object, as in 我见过一次他.

Before the test, make sure you can

• Place time-when phrases and durations correctly in a sentence.
• Read clock times with 点, 分, 半, 刻 and 差.
• Calculate a duration from start and end times and say it in Chinese.
• Use duration with objects, including pronoun objects.
• Distinguish 学了两年中文 from 学了两年中文了.
• Choose among 次, 遍 and 趟 and place them correctly.
• Describe habits with 每…都 and 一个星期…几次.

Words to know

点

o'clock (diǎn)

分

minute (clock) (fēn)

半

half (bàn)

刻

quarter hour (kè)

差

to be short of (chà)

分钟

minute (duration) (fēnzhōng)

小时

hour (xiǎoshí)

天

day (tiān)

星期

week (xīngqī)

年

year (nián)

半天

a long time; half a day (bàntiān)

次

time, occurrence (cì)

遍

time (start to finish) (biàn)

趟

trip (tàng)

每

every (měi)

常常

often (chángcháng)

有时候

sometimes (yǒushíhou)

以前

before (yǐqián)

以后

after (yǐhòu)

的时候

when (de shíhou)

从

from (cóng)

到

to, until (dào)

等

to wait (děng)

Sample practice questions

30 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.