English speakers use tenses to indicate actions in time. There are tenses for the past, present and future, with corresponding rules for verb conjugation and sentence structure.
Mandarin Chinese does not have these types of tenses. One of the main difference between English grammar and Chinese grammar is that Chinese verbs do not conjugate. The English verb “go,” for example, conjugates as “going, gone, went,” whereas the Chinese qù (go) is always the same no matter what the time frame is.
Aspect
Instead of tense, Mandarin speakers can specify time frames with aspect, which determines the state or progress of an action. Aspect is used to indicate an action which:
- is occurring at the present moment (zhèngzài or zhe)
- has already been experienced (guo)
- has already been completed (le)
Time Markers
Aspect can be used without any other time indicators, but if the speaker or writer wishes to be more precise, aspect can be combined with time markers.
Time markers can be used to indicate when an action takes place. They are not necessary: If the context is clear, time markers are often omitted.
The following sentence, therefore, could be used in almost any temporal sense:
Wǒ mǎi shū.
Traditional: 我買書｡
Simplified: 我买书｡
Literal: I buy book(s).
Depending on the context, the sentence above could mean:
- I am buying a book (or books).
- I bought a book (or books).
- I am going to buy a book (or books).
If the speaker wishes to be more precise, they can say:
- Wǒ (zhèng) zài mǎi shū. I am buying a book (or books).
- Wǒ (zuótiān) mǎi shū le. I bought a book (or books) (yesterday).
- Wǒ (míngtiān) yào mǎi shū. I am going to buy a book (or books) (tomorrow).
Notes:
Zhèngzài (正在) can be shortened to zài.
The time words in brackets are optional. Past action is indicated with le and future action is indicated with yào. Please be careful, though! Le and yào can have other meanings depending on the context.
