In Chinese, the future is translated as " 将来/jiānglái/future"
In Chinese, unlike English, there is no clear specific construction for expressing the future tense. And it is impossible to immediately learn to express the future tense. In this publication I will tell you several ways to form a sentence in the future tense.
At the moment, I have identified five main ways to express the future tense:
1 way. Using modal verbs "要", "将" and "会"
Modal verb " 要 / yào / desire, want, demand»
The future tense can be formed using modal verbs. I will write about what modal verbs are in a separate publication. The verb “要” also belongs to modal verbs.
Often the verb "yào" is translated as "want", for example, in the sentence " I want to go for a walk».
But in some moments it carries an intonation of neediness, for example, in the sentence “ I need to go to the hospital." In the last sentence, this is already a clearly expressed need.
Naturally, such a need will be fulfilled in the future.
Examples:
Modal verb " 将 / jiang1 / intend to accomplish something»
In terms of meaning, this modal verb has the same meaning as the modal verb “要”, but is more often used in newspapers, texts and in official speech. When using this verb, it is assumed that the action will take place in the future.
Modal verb " 会 /hui4/ to be able to do something»
Verb " 会 "also belongs to the modal group and is used before verbs. The most commonly used meaning of this word is " be able to do something" or " have the ability to do something" For example, in the sentence " I speak Chinese» this particular verb will be used to express ability. In Chinese the sentence would be "我会汉语。".
The modal verb "会" can also be used to express the future tense. And in such sentences it will be translated as “will”, “will” depending on the subject.
Examples:
Method 2. Using the adverbs "将要" and "将会"
Both dialects contain the character “将”. I would like to note that these adverbs are more often used in textual and official speech.
Adverb " 将要 / jiāngyào / in the future, about to happen»
Adverb " “将要” indicates that the action will occur in the near short term.
Examples:
| The sale is about to start. | 拍卖会将要开始了。 | Pāimài huì jiāngyào kāishǐle. |
| The bus is about to leave. | 公共汽车将要出发。 | Gōnggòng qìchē jiāngyào chūfā. |
3 way. Using future tense adverbs
« 明天", "下星期", "下次", "明年", "后年", "大后年" and "下个月"
This is the most common colloquial way of expressing sentences in the future tense. You can only use the adverbial tense in a sentence, and this will already indicate that the sentence refers to the future tense.
You can use the following circumstances:
Examples:
4 way. Using the design
« 块。。。了", "要。。。了", "快要。。。了", "就。。。了" and "就要。。。了".
| 块。。。了 | Kuài...Le |
| 要。。。了 | Yào...Le |
| 快要。。。了 | Kuàiyào...Le |
| 就。。。了 | Jiù...Le |
| 就要。。。了 | Jiù yào...Le |
The constructions are constructions of the future tense. They say that the action will be carried out soon. There are practically no differences between them. Some of them are the most common in conversational practice.
I also want to note that sentences using these constructions have an exclamatory meaning.
Examples:
5 way. Using verb duplication .
Verbs are often duplicated in Chinese. For example, "看看" or "看一看"， "数数" or "数一数", "试试" or "试一试". If such duplications are used without the past tense particle “le”, then the sentences have a connotation of the future tense. But as far as possible in the near future.
Examples:
In this article, I described only the most pronounced moments of the future tense in Chinese. In fact, there are many nuances to forming the future tense in Chinese. We discuss all the nuances in detail in our lessons.
With this I say goodbye to you!
Time in Chinese, let's say what time it is, what time it is. As in Russian, in Chinese they first say what time it is, then how many minutes.
What time is it now?
Time in Chinese is formed from the hour number from 1 to 12 (一 (yī) to 十二 (shíèr)), and the word "hour" 点 (diǎn). In Chinese, as in English, time is divided into "before noon" 上午 (shàngwŭ) "a.m." and "afternoon" 下午 (xiàwŭ) "p.m.". You can also use substitute words, for example, instead of 下午 say 晚上 (wǎnshang, evening), but, of course, if it is from 6 to 12 pm. That is, substitute words can be used within reason. You need to get used to it and never make a mistake, because the Chinese do not use the 24-hour system.
Structure
Examples
- 一 点 yī diǎn 1 hour.
- 九 点 jiǔ diǎn 9 o'clock.
- 十 点 shí diǎn 10 hours.
- 中午 十二 点 zhōngwǔ shí"èr diǎn 12 a.m.
- 上午 七 点 shàngwǔ qī diǎn 7 a.m. (before noon).
- 明天 晚上 八 点 míngtiān wǎnshàng bā diǎn Tomorrow evening at 8 o'clock.
- 十 月 十 号 早上 五 点 shí yuè shí hào zǎoshang wǔ diǎn October 10, 5 am.
- 每 天 下午 两 点 měitiān xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn Every day at 2 pm (afternoon).
- 星期日 上午 十 点 xīngqīrì shàngwǔ shí diǎn On Sunday at 10 am.
Half an hour and a quarter of an hour
The half-hour and quarter-hour symbols come after 点 (diăn). "Half an hour" is translated as 半 (bàn), and "quarter of an hour" is translated as 刻 (kè).
Half an hour
Structure
Examples
- 八 点 半 bā diǎn bàn 8:30.
- 上午 五 点 半 shàngwǔ wǔ diǎn bàn 5:30 am.
- 十 月 十 号 早上 六 点 半 shí yuè shí hào zǎoshang liù diǎn bàn October 10, 6:30 am.
- 每 天 下午 两 点 半 měitiān xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn Every day at 2:30 p.m.
Quarter of an hour.
In Chinese, the word for "quarter hour" 刻 (kè) can only be used in two cases: 一 刻 (yīkè, quarter of an hour, 15 minutes) and 三 刻 (sānkè, three quarters of an hour, 45 minutes). In the latter case, it is adequate to translate into Russian as “15 minutes to the next hour” or “forty-five minutes.”
Structure
Examples
- 五 点 一 刻 wǔ diǎn yī kè 5:15.
- 九 点 一 刻 jiǔ diǎn yī kè 9 hours 15 minutes.
- 十 点 一 刻 shí diǎn yī kè Ten hours and fifteen minutes.
- 三 点 一 刻 sān diǎn yī kè Three fifteen.
- 三 点 三 刻 sān diǎn sān kè 3:45.
- 两 点 三 刻 liong diǎn sān kè A quarter to three.
- 五 点 三 刻 wǔ diǎn sān kè Five hours forty-five minutes.
minutes
Minutes are written as 分 (fēn) (full form 分钟 (fēn zhōng)). The way minutes are included in a time adverbial depends on what they are worth after hours (seven hours ten minutes) or not enough before any hour (five minutes to two).
After an hour
minutes more hours come after the word "hour" 点 (diǎn), as do half an hour and a quarter of an hour.
When more than ten minutes
Structure
Examples
- 一 点 三 十 分 yī diǎn sānshi fēn 1:30
- 两 点 十 分 liong diǎn shí fēn 2:10
- 八 点 二 十 五 分 bā diǎnèrshíwǔ fēn 8:25
- 五 点 四 十 分 wǔ diǎn sìshí fēn 5:40
- 六 点 十 五 分 liù diǎn shíwǔ fēn 6:15
- 三 点 四 十 五 分 sān diǎn sìshíwǔ fēn 3:45
- 三 点 五 十 分 sān diǎn wǔshi fēn 3:50
When it's less than ten minutes
Structure
In Chinese, when there are less than 10 minutes, the word "zero" 零 (líng) is often used between the word "hour" 点 (diǎn) and "minute" 分 (fēn). For example, 2:07 could be translated as “两点 零 七分” (liǎng diǎn líng qī fēn). In this case, in colloquial speech, the Chinese may omit the word “minutes” “分 (fēn)” at the end of the time adverb. In writing, the word "zero" can be written as 零, as well as a large circle 〇 .
A 点零 B 分
Examples
- 七 点 零 九 分 qī diǎn long jiǔ fēn 7:09
- 两 点 零 三 分 liong diǎn long sān fēn 2:03
- 八 点 零 四 bā diǎn long sì 1:04
- 一 点 零 五 yī diǎn long wǔ 8:05
Up to an hour
When we need to say that a few minutes are missing from some hour, we put the word “missing” 差 (chā) + minutes at the beginning of the adverbial time.
逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜
Time flows away like water
without stopping day or night.
Confucius
Time in Chinese is a very simple topic, but it is fraught with many pitfalls.
Please tell me what is the difference between the sentences “I have lunch at two o’clock” and “I have lunch at two o’clock”?
The first sentence indicates a specific time, “a point on the clock” (it’s not for nothing that one of the meanings of the word “hour (点)” is a point). The second sentence states: “I have lunch within two hours,” and we don’t care whether it was in the morning, afternoon or night.
Let's divide all words denoting time into two groups with different rules of use: “when?” and how long?".
"When?" A dot on the clock.
Questions we will answer using this grammar and vocabulary:
- 几点? - at what time?
- 什么时候？- When?
Basic rule: when talking about time, we are always moving from largest to smallest.
For example, the number is written in the format year-month-day (二零一六年六月三十号). The same rule applies when determining time by clock. The hour 点 is indicated first, then half 半, quarter 刻 or minute 分. As in Russian, we say "三点半" instead of "thirty minutes" and "一刻" instead of "15 minutes" and "45 minutes".
Don't forget about the beautiful word 差 (without). Sentences with it are constructed in exactly the same way as in Russian: five minutes to six o’clock = 差五分六点.
What about the rest of the words for time? Year, month, week?
It is important to remember the use:
A wall calendar will help you remember which month is 上 (one of the meanings is “top”) and which month is 下 (bottom).
Last month is on top, next month is on the bottom!
As for the days of the week, they are easy to form: add a number to the word “week” (星期一 Monday, 星期二 Tuesday). The only exception is “Sunday” (星期日／星期天).
“Last Monday” and “next Friday” are also made simply: 上个星期一，下个星期五。
How to build sentences with words denoting time? Let's use the second reinforced concrete rule of the Chinese language: words with a tense meaning are placed only before or after the subject! Moreover, if we put it before the subject, we will highlight it intonationally.
- 我晚上 去商店买水果。
- 下个星期六八点 我们去看电影，好吗?
- 下课以后 我要回家。
Yes, the last thing we will talk about in this topic is the use of the words 以后 (后) - “after” and 以前 (前) - “before”. They turn the Russian proposal on its head. “After lessons” becomes 下课后 “end of lessons + after”, and “before three o’clock” becomes 三点前 “three o’clock + before”.
That's all! If you still feel unsure with words denoting a specific time, I advise you to use scheme No. 7 of words of the second level of HSK
And we move on to words that help us answer the question “How long have you been doing something?”
"How long?" Duration of time.
The question we answer with time duration is:
多长时间? - How long?
The words used to denote a specific time and duration of time are the same (except for replacing 点 with 小时 and adding a particle 钟 to minutes 三分钟 and quarters 一刻钟), but the sentences are constructed using fundamentally different grammar.
I advise you to recall sentence patterns with the second de (得) in order to draw parallels with already known material.
How are these two topics related?
"Length of Time" must come after the verb!
What should we do if after the predicate there is an object (not “I read for two hours,” but “I read a book for two hours”)?
Option 1 is exactly the same as in the familiar grammar about 得: repetition of the verb! Please note that 了 in such sentences is placed after the second predicate:
Option 2 is the simplest: if the addition is a personal pronoun (I, he, she...), then it can be left in place: 我们等了他半个小时。
Option 3 is also already familiar to us: if the addition has a definition (not “I’m reading a book”, but “I’m reading an interesting book”), then it should be brought forward:
Well, the fourth option, my favorite: we put time between the predicate and the object, turning time into a definition! Those. not “I study grammar for two hours”, but, literally, “I study grammar for two hours”!
The negation in such sentences deserves special mention.
Compare:
- 我一个星期没学汉语。I haven’t studied Chinese for a week.
- 我没有学习一个星期的汉语！I studied Chinese for less than a week (but less).
To deny the action (I didn’t teach!), we move the time forward. To negate time (not a week!), we build a sentence according to the rules and add a negation.
That's all you need to know about time in Chinese!
It's good when there's nowhere to rush. Happy people, they say, don’t watch the clock. But in our hectic life, everything is scheduled by the hour. And when traveling, it is especially important to know what time is it now so as not to miss the plane, for example. This article will help us correctly answer the questions “what time is it?”, “What time...?”.
Please note that we will learn not so much Chinese words as Chinese phrases - this is more effective.
Learning to talk about time in Chinese:
| 现在几点? | Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it now? (lit. now + how much + hour) |
| 七点 | qī diǎn | 7 o'clock |
| 七点零五(分) | qī diǎn líng wǔ (fēn) | 7 hours 05 (minutes) (lit. seven + hour + 0 + 5) |
| 七点十五(分) | qī diǎn shíwǔ (fēn) | 7 hours 15 (minutes) |
| 七点一刻 | qī diǎn yī kè | 7 and a quarter |
| 七点半 | qī diǎn bàn | 7.30 or 7 and a half (literally 7 + hour + half) |
| 七点四十五(分) | qī diǎn sìshíwǔ (fēn) | 7 hours 45 (minutes) |
| 七点三刻 | qī diǎn sān kè | 7 and three quarters |
| 七点五十五(分) | qī diǎn wǔshíwǔ (fēn) | 7 hours 55 (minutes) |
| 差五分八点 | chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn | five to eight |
| 九点左右 | jiǔ diǎn zuǒyòu | about 9 o'clock |
| 还没到九点 | hái méi dào jiǔ diǎn | It's not 9 o'clock yet |
| 快到九点 | kuài dào jiǔ diǎn | soon it will be 9 o'clock |
| 正好九点 | zhènghǎo jiǔ diǎn | exactly 9 o'clock |
| 才到九点 | cái dào jiǔ diǎn | 9 o'clock just struck |
| 时间 | shíjiān | time, period of time |
| 时候 | shihou | time; during the time when |
| 小时 | xiăoshi | hour |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 到时间了 | dào shíjiānle | it's time, the time has come |
Example sentences
- 现在三点十分 (Xiànzài sān diǎn shí fēn) - It's 3:10 now.
- 你几点上班？(Nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngbān?) - What time do you have to go to work?
- 我八点上班 (Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān). - I have to work at eight.
- 办公时间 (Bàngōng shíjiān). - Working hours.
- 营业时间 (Yíngyè shíjiān). - Working hours (business, trade + time)
Location in a sentence
Note! If words describing time answer the question WHEN, then they are put before verb.
And if the indicated time implies DURATION, then it is put after verb.
Moreover, this applies to the description of time in general: hours, days, times, etc.
Examples:
- 我六点回家 (Wǒ liù diǎn huí jiā). - I'll be back home at 6 o'clock (lit. I'll be back home at 6 o'clock). - WHEN.
- 我听了两个小时 (Wǒ tīngle liǎng gè xiǎoshí). - I listened for 2 hours. - DURATION.
Notice also how the last sentence changes when the object appears:
- 我听他听了两个小时 (Wǒ tīngle liǎng gè xiǎoshí). - I listened to him for 2 hours. - DURATION.
Hieroglyph 刻 - quarter of an hour
This is just one of the many meanings of this hieroglyph. The key of the character 刂 - knife - gives the character also the meaning to cut. Below in the subheading "Interesting facts..." you can find out the history of this hieroglyph. The knife in the hieroglyph is connected to 亥 (hài) - the twelfth cyclic sign and is closely related to the designation of time. For example, the second major hour of the night (from 9 to 11 pm) is called 亥时 - Pig. The same hieroglyph denotes the year of the Pig.
Hieroglyph 时 - hour
In the traditional spelling of this character - 時 - one can see the connection in the ancient Chinese concept of time and agriculture. The key 日 (rì) - the sun - is connected to the earth 土 and the measure of length 寸. In ancient times, when everything depended on the harvest, time meant not only money, but also life. Now 时 means an ordinary hour, but according to ancient Chinese timekeeping, 时 was twice as long.
Interesting facts about time in ancient and modern China
- Although the territory of China is located on four time zones, nevertheless, throughout the country there is a single time that coincides with Beijing - 4 hours difference with Moscow.
- In ancient China, the day was divided not into 24 (小时 - xiăoshí - small hour), but into 12 time periods - 时辰 (shíchen), or large hours.
- The five night periods were called genami (更 - gēng), and lasted from 7 pm to 5 am.
- Another division of the day used in ancient China was the division into 100 periods 刻 (kè), which were measured by a water clock. Each 刻 was divided into 60 分 (fēn). As a result, in the ancient Chinese day there were 12 shichen, 100 ke and 6000 fen.
- The modern value of 刻, equal to 15 minutes, or 1/96 of a day, acquired thanks to the Jesuits, who introduced Western timekeeping in China in the 17th century.
- The ancient Chinese measured time with water clocks and sun clocks. The water clock was a round bowl with a hole in the bottom, floating in a vat of water and gradually filling up. And one Chinese emperor in the 13th century made himself a sundial 40 steps high. An amazing clock for astronomical observations was created by the Chinese master Su Song. This is a whole 12-meter tower of a water-controlled clock, an armillary sphere and a celestial globe.
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