Telling Time in Mandarin Chinese: Using 在, 星期, and 月 for Times, Days, and Dates
Learn how Mandarin marks clock times, days of the week, and months and dates. See why one word 在 covers English in, on, and at, and how time words come before the verb.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
English uses three different prepositions for time: at 7 p.m., on Monday, in July. Mandarin does not make that three-way distinction. A single word, 在 (zài), can mark a clock time, and often it is simply left out. Days and dates are built from numbered patterns: 星期一 (xīngqī yī, Monday), 七月 (qīyuè, July), 七月三号 (qīyuè sān hào, July 3rd). This lesson teaches you to say when something happens and where to place that time expression in a Chinese sentence.
By the end, you can…
- say clock times such as 七点 and 晚上七点.
- name days of the week with 星期 and months with 月.
- give a full date such as 七月三号.
- place a time expression correctly before the verb in a sentence.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
在七点
at seven o'clock
zài qī diǎn
在 marks the clock time; it is optional in many sentences. 点 means o'clock.
星期一
Monday
xīngqī yī
Days of the week are 星期 plus a number: 一 1, 二 2, 三 3, 四 4, 五 5, 六 6. Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日.
七月
July
qī yuè
Months are simply a number plus 月 (month): 一月 January through 十二月 December.
七月三号
July 3rd
qī yuè sān hào
Dates go from big to small: month, then day plus 号. In writing, 日 can replace 号.
晚上七点
at 7 p.m. / at seven in the evening
wǎnshang qī diǎn
Put a time-of-day word before the hour: 早上 morning, 下午 afternoon, 晚上 evening.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Time expressions normally come before the verb, not at the end of the sentence. Compare 我七点吃饭 (wǒ qī diǎn chīfàn, I eat at seven) and 我星期一上班 (wǒ xīngqī yī shàngbān, I work on Monday). The time phrase sits right after the subject. You can add 在 before a clock time for emphasis: 我在七点吃饭. For days and dates, 在 is usually unnecessary: 我星期一上班 sounds natural without it.
When to use it
Use 点 for clock hours and 分 for minutes: 七点十五分 (qī diǎn shíwǔ fēn, 7:15). Use 星期 plus a number for Monday through Saturday, and 星期天 or 星期日 for Sunday. Use a number plus 月 for months and a number plus 号 for days of the month. To combine them, go from large to small: 七月三号星期一 (qī yuè sān hào xīngqī yī, Monday, July 3rd). Add 早上, 下午, or 晚上 before the hour to specify morning, afternoon, or evening.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你星期一几点上班？
What time do you start work on Monday?nǐ xīngqī yī jǐ diǎn shàngbān我星期一早上八点上班。
I start work at 8 a.m. on Monday.wǒ xīngqī yī zǎoshang bā diǎn shàngbān七月三号你忙吗？
Are you busy on July 3rd?qī yuè sān hào nǐ máng ma不忙。我们晚上七点吃饭吧。
Not busy. Let's eat at 7 p.m.bù máng. wǒmen wǎnshang qī diǎn chīfàn baA little context goes a long way
In everyday speech, 在 is often dropped before time words, so 我七点吃饭 is more common than 我在七点吃饭. Adding 在 is not wrong, but it can sound slightly more deliberate or written. In careful writing, dates may use 日 instead of 号, as in 七月三日. Spoken Mandarin strongly prefers 号 for dates.
One thing to watch for
Putting the time at the end of the sentence, as in 我吃饭七点.
Try this instead: In Mandarin, time expressions come before the verb: 我七点吃饭 (wǒ qī diǎn chīfàn). If you want to stress the time, you can say 我在七点吃饭, but the time still stays before 吃饭.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'Wednesday' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
星期三 (xīngqī sān)
星期三 follows the pattern 星期 plus the number three. 星期三 is the standard form; 礼拜三 is a common colloquial alternative.
2How do you say 'at 9 p.m.'?
Show a sample answer
晚上九点 (wǎnshang jiǔ diǎn)
晚上 comes before the hour, and 点 marks the hour. You may also add 在: 在晚上九点, which is correct but less common in speech.
3Put the words in order: 吃饭 / 我 / 七点
Show a sample answer
我七点吃饭 (wǒ qī diǎn chīfàn)
The subject comes first, then the time expression, then the verb. 我吃饭七点 is not natural Mandarin because the time phrase must precede the verb.
For time in Mandarin, remember one word 在 for clock times, numbered patterns for days and months, and one rule: put the time before the verb.
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