Western languages such as English have several ways to express tense. The most common are verb conjunctions which change the form of the verb depending on the time frame. For example, the English verb "eat" can be changed to "ate" for past actions, and "eating" for current actions.
Mandarin Chinese does not have any verb conjugations. All verbs have a single form. For example, the verb ? (chi - to eat), can be used for the past, present, and future.
Despite the lack of Mandarin verb conjugations, there are other ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese. The simplest way is to simply state the time expression as part of the sentence - usually at the beginning:
Once the timeframe is established, it is understood and can be omitted from the rest of the conversation.
The particle ? (le) is used to indicate that an action occurred in the past and has been completed. Like the time expression, it can be omitted once the timeframe has been established:
The particle ? (le) can also be used for the immediate future, so be careful of its usage and be sure to understand both functions.
When you have done something in the past, this action can be described with the verb-suffix guò (? / ?). For example, if you want to say that you have already seen the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (????/???? - wò hu cáng long), you can say:
Unlike the particle ? (le), the verb suffix guò (? / ?) is used to talk about an unspecific past. If you want to say that you saw the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" yesterday, you would say:
As mentioned above, the particle ? (le) can be used for the future as well as the past. When used with a time expression such as ?? (mÃngtian - tomorrow), the meaning is similar to the English perfective:
The near future is expressed with the combination of the particles ? (yà o - to intend); ? (jiù - right away); or ? (kuà i - soon) with the particle ? (le):
When an action is continuing to the present moment, the expressions ?? (zhèngzà i), ? (zhèng) or ? (zà i) can be used, along with the particle ? (ne) at the end of the sentence:
or
or
or
The continuative action phrase is negated with ? (méi), and ?? (zhèngzà i) is omitted. The ? (ne), however, remains:
It is often said that Mandarin Chinese does not have any tenses. If "tenses" mean verb conjugation, this is true, since the Mandarin verb has an unchangeable form. However, as we can see in the above examples, there are many ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese, and precise meanings are available to the speaker. The main difference in terms of grammar between Mandarin Chinese and European languages, is that once a timeframe has been established in Mandarin Chinese, there is no longer any need for precision, so sentences are constructed in simple forms without verb endings or other qualifiers.
When talking to a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, Westerners may get confused with this lack of continuous precision. But this confusion arises from the comparison between English (and other Western languages) and Mandarin Chinese. Western languages require subject/verb agreements, without which the language will be glaringly wrong. Compare this with Mandarin Chinese, in which a simple statement can be in any timeframe, or express a question, or be an answer.
Mandarin Chinese does not have any verb conjugations. All verbs have a single form. For example, the verb ? (chi - to eat), can be used for the past, present, and future.
Despite the lack of Mandarin verb conjugations, there are other ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese. The simplest way is to simply state the time expression as part of the sentence - usually at the beginning:
???????
???????
Zuótian wo chi zhu ròu.
Yesterday I ate pork.
Once the timeframe is established, it is understood and can be omitted from the rest of the conversation.
Completed Actions
The particle ? (le) is used to indicate that an action occurred in the past and has been completed. Like the time expression, it can be omitted once the timeframe has been established:
(??)??????
(??)??????
(Zuótian) wo chi zhu ròu le.
(Yesterday) I ate pork.
The particle ? (le) can also be used for the immediate future, so be careful of its usage and be sure to understand both functions.
Past Experience
When you have done something in the past, this action can be described with the verb-suffix guò (? / ?). For example, if you want to say that you have already seen the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (????/???? - wò hu cáng long), you can say:
?????????｡
?????????｡
Wo yijing kà n guò wò hu cáng long.
Unlike the particle ? (le), the verb suffix guò (? / ?) is used to talk about an unspecific past. If you want to say that you saw the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" yesterday, you would say:
?????????｡
?????????｡
Zuótian wo kà n wò hu cáng lóng le.
Completed Actions In The Future
As mentioned above, the particle ? (le) can be used for the future as well as the past. When used with a time expression such as ?? (mÃngtian - tomorrow), the meaning is similar to the English perfective:
?????????｡
?????????｡
MÃngtian wo jiù huì qù Táibei le.
Tomorrow I will have gone to Taipei.
The near future is expressed with the combination of the particles ? (yà o - to intend); ? (jiù - right away); or ? (kuà i - soon) with the particle ? (le):
??????｡
Wo yà o qù Táibei le.
I'm just going to Taipei.
Continuing Actions
When an action is continuing to the present moment, the expressions ?? (zhèngzà i), ? (zhèng) or ? (zà i) can be used, along with the particle ? (ne) at the end of the sentence:
??????｡
Wo zhèngzà i chifà n ne.
I am eating.
or
?????｡
Wo zhèng chifà n ne.
I am eating.
or
?????｡
Wo zà i chifà n ne.
I am eating.
or
????｡
Wo chifà n ne.
I am eating.
The continuative action phrase is negated with ? (méi), and ?? (zhèngzà i) is omitted. The ? (ne), however, remains:
?????｡
Wo méi chifà n ne.
I am not eating.
Mandarin Tenses
It is often said that Mandarin Chinese does not have any tenses. If "tenses" mean verb conjugation, this is true, since the Mandarin verb has an unchangeable form. However, as we can see in the above examples, there are many ways to express timeframes in Mandarin Chinese, and precise meanings are available to the speaker. The main difference in terms of grammar between Mandarin Chinese and European languages, is that once a timeframe has been established in Mandarin Chinese, there is no longer any need for precision, so sentences are constructed in simple forms without verb endings or other qualifiers.
When talking to a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, Westerners may get confused with this lack of continuous precision. But this confusion arises from the comparison between English (and other Western languages) and Mandarin Chinese. Western languages require subject/verb agreements, without which the language will be glaringly wrong. Compare this with Mandarin Chinese, in which a simple statement can be in any timeframe, or express a question, or be an answer.
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