Expressing "when" with "de shihou"

Revision as of 09:24, 20 March 2013 by Guomubai (talk | contribs)

The simplest way to talk about events that happened during a certain time, like how in English when we say "when I was a child" or "when I was in school", is to use 的时候 (de shíhou).

Structure

To talk about events that happened at or during a particular time, 的时候 is often used. This is simply attached to the word or phrase indicating the time:

Time + 的时候 + Subject + Verb + Object

As time words can appear before or after the subject, you can also place the Time + 的时候 after the subject.

Examples

  • 的时候,我很开心。When you are around, I'm excited.
  • 在 大学 的时候 常常 出去 玩。When I was in college, I would often go out and have fun.
  • 工作 的时候,喜欢 安静。When I work, I like quiet.
  • 跟 朋友 一起 的时候 ,喜欢 喝 啤酒。When I'm with friends, I like to drink beer.
  • 休息 的时候,我 喜欢 听 音乐。When resting, I like to listen to music.
  • 的时候,我 不 喜欢 吃 蔬菜。When I was little, I didn't like to eat vegetables

See also

Sources and further reading

Books