Time words and word order

In Chinese, time words can appear in one of two positions in the sentence: either at the beginning of the sentence (before the subject), or directly after the subject. The structures are:

Time + Subject + Verb + Object

Subject + Time + Verb + Object

So this is one of the rare occasions where if you start speaking with English word order (time first), you can carry on and get away with it.

Some examples:

• 昨天 我 去 了 酒吧。
• 我 昨天 去 了 酒吧。
• 下 个 星期 他 要 回国。
• 他 下 个 星期 要 回国。

See also

• Word order
• Using "zai" with verbs
• Wanting to do something with yao
• Expressing completion with le

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 205-6) →buy