How to Use Tenses in Mandarin

Chinese Mandarin is one of the most beautiful languages in the world.

It is very unique in structure and is one of the only languages which does not have time-related tenses for verbs. In English, verbs change based on time, but in Chinese, the verb remains the same. Instead, time adverbs or aspect particles are used to indicate specific timing. It may seem complex, but once you understand the sentence structure rules, expressing different time periods in Chinese becomes simpler. In this article, you will not only find out about tenses in Mandarin but also Chinese verb conjugation, basic Mandarin vocabulary and the most used Chinese verbs.

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Using the Past Tense in Chinese

When you learn tenses in Mandarin, you will notice that the language lacks verb conjugation or explicit time references within its verb structure. Unlike European languages, Mandarin use adverbs and particles to convey precise meanings. This can be achieved through a few easy-to-apply methods. To speak about the past, here is some essential basic Mandarin vocabulary.

1. To Express Completed Actions: Add 'le' after the verb, e.g., "I found that book" becomes "w? zh?o dào le nà b?n sh?."

2. To Express Past Experience: Add 'guò' as a verb suffix, e.g., "I have already seen the movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" becomes "W? y?j?ng kàn guò wò h? cáng long."

3. To Express Completed Actions That Didn't Happen: Use 'méi' or 'méi y?u,' e.g., "I didn't see her yesterday" becomes "w? zuó ti?n méi kàn jiàn t?."
4. Alternatively, add the adverb 'hái,' e.g., "I haven't eaten yet" becomes "w? hái méi ch? fàn."

5. To Express That an Experience Has Happened: Add the aspectual particle 'guò,' e.g., "Have you ever studied Chinese?" becomes "N? xué guò Zh?ngwén ma?"
6. Or ask, "Have you seen this movie?" as "N? kàn guo zhège diàny?ng ma?"

Note that when 'guò' is used with 'le,' it completely changes the meaning of the sentence when referring to the past.

Whether you are planning to travel to China or just learning basic Mandarin vocabulary to fit in with your community, it is best to learn how to properly express yourself in the language.

Mastering Mandarin requires studying its sentence structure, grammar, and tonal complexities.

It is important to understand that Chinese differs from native English or European languages like Italian or Spanish and is wholly unique. To come to grips with Chinese verb conjugation and the tonal complexities of Mandarin, you will need a flexible and open-minded approach.

Other helpful basic Mandarin vocabulary to help you express the past includes words from the following list:

1. (zuó ti?n) Yesterday
2. (g?ng gang) Just now
3. (qù nián) last year
4. (guò qu) – in the past
5. (shàng zh?u) last week
6. (Shàng gè yuè) Last Month
7. (y? qián) – before

Some phrases specify the time in Mandarin when placed before the verb.

• E.g. (y? qián w? shì y? gè l?o sh?.) I was a teacher before.

Basic Mandarin Vocabulary for Speaking Chinese in the Present

Learning Chinese offers a notable contrast to European languages. Unlike English, where we conjugate verbs, basic Chinese verbs eliminate the need for ongoing time references once the timeframe is established.

While certain aspects of Chinese may appear demanding, mastering Mandarin is not as challenging as initially perceived.

The absence of verb tenses and other language structures in Chinese makes Chinese verb conjugation effortless.

One significant benefit is that once you have memorised the sentence structure, time phrases, adverbs, nouns, and particles, you can enhance your communication skills, fluency and basic Mandarin vocabulary. In fact, getting to grips with the most used Chinese verbs will add a dimension of proficiency that will contribute to your ongoing progress with more complex Chinese verb conjugation.

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Most Used Chinese Verbs in the Present Tense

• 'Zhe' expresses actions in the present. E.g. "I laugh and eat" becomes "W? xiàozhe ch?."
• 'Zhèngzài' indicates being in the process of something. E.g. "I am eating" becomes "W? zhèngzài zuò ch? de."

In Mandarin Chinese, verbs always remain in the infinitive form, regardless of the tense.

For instance, "He is" is "t? shì," "I am" is "w? shì," and "You are" is "n? shì.”

Understanding these most used Chinese verbs for the present tense is crucial for constructing sentences and effectively communicating in Chinese. While these sentences may not directly translate from English, as long as they are correct in Chinese, you can confidently speak with the assurance that this basic Mandarin vocabulary won’t let you down.

Other basic Mandarin vocabulary for expressing the present includes adverbs or time phrases like:

1. (m?i zh?u y? cì) once per week
2. (m?i zh?u) every week
3. (m?i nián) every year
4.  (y?u shí) sometimes
5. zài zh?u y?) on Monday
6. (m?i ti?n) everyday
7. (j?ng cháng) often

In addition, knowing these most used Chinese verbs like the ones below will also help you to learn Mandarin tenses.

• (w? méi y?u ti?n ti?n qù ji? b?) I don’t go to the bar every day
• (w? m?i ti?n qí ch? shàng xué) I ride a bike to school every day.

Now that you have an idea of past and present tenses in Mandarin, let’s look at how to indicate the future.

Speak Mandarin in the Future Using This Chinese Verb Conjugation

In addition to mastering Mandarin pronunciation and tones, it's important to have confidence in other aspects of the language. Understanding word order, grammar rules, basic Mandarin vocabulary, and learning expressions will contribute to developing strong, dynamic, and clear conversational skills. When discussing the future, it is crucial to familiarise yourself with the following time adverbs and particles.

To refer to events in the future, make sure you know how to use the following adverbs and particles.

• Yào means 'to want'.
• Ji?ng refers to something in the distant future.
• Y?hòu can mean 'after', ‘soon’, ‘in the future' and 'later'. The final meaning depends on the context of the sentence.

To form a sentence in the future tense, the sentence structure involves placing the temporal marker at the beginning of the sentence. It follows the pattern:

• Adverb/particle + subject + verb + complement/object.

By failing to do this, you’ll either change the meaning of the sentence or even worse, make no sense at all.

One reason to learn Mandarin tenses is to be able to fully express yourself. Here is some Chinese verb conjugation to help you to do that in the future.

• (W? yào qù fàguó) I'm going to France 
• W? yào k?i y?gè g?ngs?) I want to start a company in the future
• Y?hòu w? yào qù zh?ngguó) one day I will go to China

Expressing Liabilities in Chinese Mandarin

In the Chinese language and culture, passive sentences are used alongside the dominant SVO (subject-verb-object) structure which accounts for approximately 20% of all sentences. There are three reasons for passive sentences.

• For indicating a negative effect.
• To make someone or something that has been affected by an action, more important.
• To avoid making mention of a person responsible for an action.

For native English speakers, an illustration of the passive voice would be the transformation from "I write a letter" (active voice) to "A letter is written" (passive voice). In Chinese grammar, to convey this sense of passivity, we employ the verb "bèi." For Mandarin Chinese beginners, it is important to bear in mind the following rules when using "bèi":

• When speaking Chinese in the passive voice and using "bèi," the object of the action becomes the subject of the sentence.
• The verb used should not be overly simple and ought to incorporate a particle, complement, or an additional object along with the verb.
• While "bèi" is not the sole method for constructing a passive voice in Chinese, it is the most frequently employed approach.

Here is an example of a sentence in the active voice.

• Nà nánhái ch?le règ?u translates to the boy ate the hot dog. “The hot dog" has now become the subject, and "the boy" is the "doer"
• Règ?u bèi nánhái ch? le. - A hot dog was eaten by the boy..

Here is an example of the passive voice without the "doer".

• Règ?u bèi ch? le translated this means the hot dog was eaten.

Additionally, it is feasible to construct passive sentences in the negative form, but this is a more intricate technique that could be explored in a separate article. This construction is expressed by including the preposition 'méiy?u,' which means 'no,' and the sentence is conjugated according to the following structure: subject + negation + passive marker + agent + verbal sentence

For English speakers interested in learning Chinese and in particular, want to learn Mandarin tenses, practising new words and memorising how to place them in sentences is very beneficial.

This will facilitate the development of your speaking, reading, and writing skills in Chinese. While these Chinese words may initially appear challenging for beginners, the structured nature of the language simplifies the process of deciphering word order and enhancing overall communication.

However, if one forgets the correct word order, speaking Chinese could become more challenging, and comprehension may suffer as a result. Nonetheless, the absence of verb conjugations in Chinese is a notable advantage and provides many benefits to all Chinese language students. 

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