Mandarin A1: Talk About Time — 今天、明天、几点、下午

Ever been asked 你几点有空? Or wanted to say “Let’s meet tomorrow afternoon”? In this A1-friendly guide, you’ll learn the most common Mandarin time expressions—days, parts of the day, and clock time—plus simple sentence patterns to use them right away.

Core day words: today, tomorrow, yesterday, now

These are your everyday essentials. Master them and you can answer most “when” questions.

今天
today
time word
我今天很忙。
I’m busy today.
明天
tomorrow
time word
我们明天见。
We’ll meet tomorrow.
昨天
yesterday
time word
他昨天不在。
He wasn’t here yesterday.
现在
now
time word
现在两点。
It’s two o’clock now.
什么时候
when
question word
你什么时候有空？
When are you free?
Mandarin
我今天有中文课。
I have Chinese class today.

我有中文课。

Tip: Answering “When?”

  • 你什么时候有空？ — 我明天下午有空。
  • 你什么时候吃饭？ — 我现在吃饭。 Keep answers short and natural: time + verb (no need for a full clause).

Weekdays: 星期一 to 星期日

Mandarin weekdays follow a simple pattern: 星期 + number.

  • 星期一 (Monday)
  • 星期二 (Tuesday)
  • 星期三 (Wednesday)
  • 星期四 (Thursday)
  • 星期五 (Friday)
  • 星期六 (Saturday)
  • 星期日 / 星期天 (Sunday, both are common; 星期天 is more colloquial) You might also hear 礼拜 + number (e.g., 礼拜一), especially in casual speech.
星期 week 三 three
Mandarin
今天是星期四。
Today is Thursday.
🧠 Weekday basics

Parts of the day: 早上, 上午, 中午, 下午, 晚上

Use these to make your plans clear and natural.

  • 早上 (early morning)
  • 上午 (morning, roughly before noon)
  • 中午 (noon)
  • 下午 (afternoon)
  • 晚上 (evening/night) You can place them before the time: 晚上七点 (7 p.m.).
早上
early morning
time word
我早上喝咖啡。
I drink coffee in the early morning.
中午
noon
time word
我们中午吃饭。
We eat at noon.
下午
afternoon
time word
她下午学习。
She studies in the afternoon.
晚上
evening/night
time word
他们晚上看电影。
They watch a movie at night.

我们七点见面。

Clock time: 点, 分, 半

  • 点 (diǎn) = o’clock
  • 分 (fēn) = minute
  • 半 (bàn) = half past
  • 两点 (liǎng diǎn) = 2 o’clock (use 两, not 二, for hours) Examples:
  • 七点 (7:00)
  • 七点五分 (7:05)
  • 七点半 (7:30)
  • 九点十分 (9:10) You can combine with parts of day: 下午三点 (3 p.m.), 晚上八点半 (8:30 p.m.).
Mandarin
现在两点半。
It’s 2:30 now.
🔠 Put the words in order

Put time words together before the verb.

💬 Making plans
🧠 Telling time
二点 → 两点 Use 两 for hours (两点), not 二点. 我吃饭今天。 → 我今天吃饭。 Place the time before the verb: Subject + Time + Verb.

Culture notes

  • Sunday: both 星期日 and 星期天 are used; 星期天 sounds more casual.
  • 礼拜 + number (礼拜一…) is common in some regions and informal contexts; 星期 is neutral and widely understood.
  • In timetables and announcements, you may see 24-hour times (e.g., 15:30). In casual speech, people often use parts of the day: 下午三点半.
  • Precise minutes with 刻 (quarter) exist (七点一刻 = 7:15), but at A1, stick to 分 and 半 for clarity.

Quick practice: build natural time phrases

Use this pattern: [Day] + [Part of day] + [Clock time] + [Verb]

  • 我们星期五晚上七点吃饭。
  • 她明天下午两点开会。
  • 我昨天中午休息。 Try making two of your own!
Mandarin
她明天上午十点到。
She arrives tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Wrap-up

You learned the core day words (今天/明天/昨天/现在), weekdays (星期一…星期日/星期天), parts of the day (早上/上午/中午/下午/晚上), and how to tell time with 点、分、半—plus the key word order. Keep noticing time phrases in real conversations, and answer 什么时候 with short, clear chunks. You’ve got this—下次约朋友，试着用中文吧！