✨ Let’s Begin
Have you ever wanted to say “today,” “tomorrow,” or “every weekend” in Chinese?
Good news — Chinese time words are actually super simple! 🎉
You don’t need to memorize tricky grammar or word order rules.
In this lesson, you’ll learn:
🕐 How to say time expressions like “now,” “next week,” and “every year”
🧠 The easiest rule to place time in a sentence
Let’s get started — it’s time to talk about… time! 😉⏰
⏰Key Time Words
✅ Basic Time Words
现在 (xiànzài) — now
最近 (zuìjìn) — recently
刚才 (gāngcái) — just now / earlier
☀️ Time of Day
早上 (zǎoshang) — morning
中午 (zhōngwǔ) — noon
晚上 (wǎnshang) — evening
凌晨 (língchén) — early morning
上午 (shàngwǔ) — a.m.
下午 (xiàwǔ) — p.m.
📅 Days
前天 (qiántiān) — the day before yesterday
昨天 (zuótiān) — yesterday
今天 (jīntiān) — today
明天 (míngtiān) — tomorrow
后天 (hòutiān) — the day after tomorrow
📅 Years
前年 (qiánnián) — the year before last
去年 (qùnián) — last year
今年 (jīnnián) — this year
明年 (míngnián) — next year
后年 (hòunián) — the year after next
📆 Week Patterns
上个星期 (shàng ge xīngqī) — last week
这个星期 (zhè ge xīngqī) — this week
下个星期 (xià ge xīngqī) — next week
📆 Month Patterns
上个月 (shàng ge yuè) — last month
这个月 (zhè ge yuè) — this month
下个月 (xià ge yuè) — next month
🔁 Frequency Words
上次 (shàngcì) — last time
这次 (zhècì) — this time
下次 (xiàcì) — next time
每次 (měicì) — every time
每天 (měitiān) — every day
每个星期 (měi ge xīngqī) — every week
每个月 (měi ge yuè) — every month
每年 (měinián) — every year
🧠 Pro Tip
In Chinese, time words can come before or after the subject — both are totally fine!
✅ (Time) + Subject + Verb
✅ Subject + (Time) + Verb
明天我去北京。 → Tomorrow I’m going to Beijing.
我明天去北京。 → I’m going to Beijing tomorrow.
👉 The key is: just make sure the subject is clear.
Time can go before or after it — no problem!
And the best part?
You don’t need prepositions like “on,” “in,” or “at”! 🙌
Just the word. That’s it.😉🎉