Speaking · Early beginner · 22 pages
Yesterday, Today, Next Week: Mandarin Time Words & Plans
Use relative days, weeks, months, years, parts of the day, and before-or-after phrases to understand and make simple plans in Mandarin.
Download free PDFNo signup. No email form. Version 1.0, updated 2026-08-26.
What’s inside
- Relative days from 前天 through 后天
- Last, this, and next week, month, and year
- Five useful parts of the day
- Time-phrase placement before the predicate
- Reference point plus 以前 or 以后
- Availability and plan-checking language
- A short planning dialogue
- Closed-task answers and a personal plan prompt
What you’ll practice
- Distinguish common past, present, and future day, week, month, and year phrases
- Build larger-to-smaller time chunks such as 明天上午
- Place a when-time phrase before its associated predicate
- Use a reference point followed by 以前 or 以后
- Propose, check, adjust, and confirm a simple plan without relying on clock time
Sample lines
- 我明天上午学习。 · Wǒ míngtiān shàngwǔ xuéxí. · I’m studying tomorrow morning. (The larger day word comes before the smaller part of day, and the complete time phrase comes before the predicate.)
- 午饭以后我有空。 · Wǔfàn yǐhòu wǒ yǒu kòng. · I am free after lunch. (Put 以后 after the reference point: lunch + after.)
- 那我们下个星期见，怎么样？ · Nà wǒmen xià ge xīngqī jiàn, zěnmeyàng? · Then how about we meet next week? (怎么样 invites the other person to accept or adjust the proposal.)
Frequently asked questions
Do Mandarin verbs change for past or future tense?
The verb itself does not conjugate for tense. A time phrase and the wider context often establish when an event happens. Other markers may add aspect or stance, but they are not required for every basic plan.
Where does the time phrase go?
A when-time phrase normally comes before its predicate. It can come before the subject or between the subject and predicate: 明天我学习 and 我明天学习 are both possible.
Why does 以前 or 以后 follow the time reference?
Mandarin builds this relationship as reference point + before or after: 午饭以后 is literally lunch + after. The complete phrase then sets the time for the main action.
Where can I practice dates and exact clock times?
Use the separate Mandarin Numbers for Prices, Dates & Time workbook for date order, weekdays, prices, and clock time. This workbook focuses on relative time, sequencing, and making plans.
Keep practicing
Build a custom beginner worksheet · Browse all free downloads
The workbook follows beginner university and Open University guidance on relative time, time-word placement, and interpersonal planning; it intentionally leaves exact dates and clock arithmetic to the dedicated numbers workbook.