时间词
shí jiān cí
Time words and word order
Time expressions go before the verb — either right after the subject, or in front of the whole sentence.
Subj. + Time + Verb… / Time + Subj. + Verb…
How it works
Chinese has no tense, so time words do that job, and they sit early in the sentence. Both 我明天去 and 明天我去 are correct; fronting the time word emphasises it or sets the scene.
What you cannot do is put the time at the end the way English often does. 我去明天 is wrong. If a sentence has both a time and a place, time comes first: 我明天在家工作.
Examples
wǒ míng tiān yǒu kōng
我明天有空。
I'm free tomorrow.
míng tiān wǒ yǒu kōng
明天我有空。
Tomorrow, I'm free.
tā jīn tiān wǎn shang zài jiā chī fàn
他今天晚上在家吃饭。
He's eating at home tonight.
Common mistakes
- Never park the time word after the verb or object.