HSK 1
S TIME V
S TIME V
(time phrase)
Structure
Subject + Time + Verb + Object
How it works
In Chinese, time expressions indicating when an action takes place must be placed before the verb. These time words can appear either immediately after the subject or at the very beginning of the sentence.
Examples
我八点去学校。
Wǒ bā diǎn qù xuéxiào.
I go to school at eight o'clock.
我们中午一点吃饭。
Wǒmen zhōngwǔ yī diǎn chīfàn.
We eat at 1:00 PM.
他星期一工作。
Tā xīngqīyī gōngzuò.
He works on Monday.
Common mistakes
Placing the time word at the end of the sentence (e.g., *Wǒ qù xuéxiào bā diǎn* is incorrect).
Tip
Think of time as the 'setting' for the action; in Chinese, you must set the stage before the action happens.
More HSK 1 grammar
See S TIME V in real Chinese
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