Time words and word order

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Structure

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.

Examples

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

See also

Sources and further reading

Books