HSK 1
Time Word Placement in Chinese
In Chinese a time-when word (昨天, 明天, 每天, 三点) goes before the verb — either right after the subject or at the very front of the sentence. It never comes after the verb the way "yesterday" can in English. Get this slot right and most beginner sentences fall into place.
STRUCTURE
Subject + Time Word + Verb + Object
When to use 时间 — and when not
Use it when
- Time right after the subject: 我昨天买了三本书。
- Time at the front for a little emphasis: 昨天我很忙。
- Clock times and dates before the verb: 我七点起床 / 他明天来。
Don't use it when
- After the verb or object: a time-when word never trails the sentence — not 我去北京昨天。
- Duration (how long) is a different slot: it goes after the verb — 我看了两个小时, not before it.
- Splitting the verb and object: keep the time before the verb, not between 看 and 书。
Right vs. wrong
我买书昨天。
我昨天买书。
Time word placed after the verb (English order)
English lets "yesterday" sit at the end, but Chinese fixes time-when before the verb. The slot is after the subject and before the action: 我昨天买书.
他去学校每天。
他每天去学校。
Time word placed after the object
A frequency word like 每天 belongs before the verb, not trailing the object. Chinese sets the time first, then the action and its object: 他每天去学校.
Examples
我昨天买了三本书。
Wǒ zuótiān mǎi le sān běn shū.
I bought three books yesterday.
他明天来我家。
Tā míngtiān lái wǒ jiā.
He's coming to my home tomorrow.
昨天我很忙。
Zuótiān wǒ hěn máng.
Yesterday I was very busy.
我每天七点起床。
Wǒ měitiān qī diǎn qǐchuáng.
I get up at seven every day.
我们下午三点见面。
Wǒmen xiàwǔ sān diǎn jiànmiàn.
We'll meet at three in the afternoon.
Common mistakes
我买书昨天。
Wǒ mǎi shū zuótiān.
Time-when goes before the verb: 我昨天买书。
他去学校每天。
Tā qù xuéxiào měitiān.
每天 comes before the verb, not after the object: 他每天去学校。
我起床七点。
Wǒ qǐchuáng qī diǎn.
Clock times sit before the verb: 我七点起床。
Think you've got it?
Write your own 时间 sentence and check that grammar point first.
Time Word Placement FAQ
Where does the time word go in a Chinese sentence?
Before the verb — either right after the subject (我昨天去) or at the front (昨天我去). Never after the verb like English "I went yesterday."
Can the time word go at the very beginning?
Yes. 昨天我很忙 and 我昨天很忙 both work. Fronting the time adds a little emphasis; after the subject is the neutral default.
Is "how long" placed the same way?
No. A time-when (昨天, 三点) goes before the verb, but a duration — how long something lasts (两个小时) — goes after the verb: 我看了两个小时. They're different slots.