Chinese Time Expressions: 以前, 以後, 的時候, and More

One of the most common frustrations at the intermediate level: you know the vocabulary, you understand the grammar point in isolation, but when it comes to telling a story or explaining a sequence of events, the sentences come out muddled.

Time expressions are usually the culprit.

Mandarin’s temporal system is logical and internally consistent—but it is structured differently from English in ways that cause persistent interference. The word order is different. The reference points work differently. The distinction between “when” and “while” and “by the time” requires separate structures.

This guide covers the essential time expressions you need for intermediate fluency, with particular focus on the structures that appear most often in Dangdai Books 2–4 and on the TOCFL exam.

First: Time Word Position in Mandarin

Before the specific expressions, one foundational rule.

In English, time expressions are flexible: “Yesterday, I went to Taipei.” / “I went to Taipei yesterday.” Both are correct.

In Mandarin, time expressions almost always come before the verb—and usually after the subject.

Subject + Time Expression + Verb

我昨天去了台北。(I went to Taipei yesterday.)
她每天學習中文。(She studies Chinese every day.)
我們下個星期要考試。(We have an exam next week.)

Placing a time expression after the verb is a common learner error that native speakers notice immediately.

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以前 (yǐqián) — Before / In the Past

Basic Usage

以前 means “before” or “in the past.”

[Time/Event] + 以前

吃飯以前 — before eating
睡覺以前 — before sleeping
來台灣以前 — before coming to Taiwan
三年以前 — three years ago

Full sentences:

吃飯以前，你應該洗手。
Before eating, you should wash your hands.

我來台灣以前，不會說中文。
Before I came to Taiwan, I couldn’t speak Chinese.

以前 as “In the Past” (Standalone)

以前 can stand alone, without a specific reference point, to mean “in the past” or “formerly”:

我以前住在美國。
I used to live in the United States.

以前我不喜歡吃臭豆腐，現在喜歡了。
I didn’t used to like stinky tofu; now I do.

This standalone usage is extremely common in conversation.

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以後 (yǐhòu) — After / In the Future

Basic Usage

以後 means “after” or “in the future.”

[Time/Event] + 以後

吃飯以後 — after eating
畢業以後 — after graduating
回家以後 — after going home
三年以後 — three years from now / in three years

Full sentences:

吃飯以後，我們去散步。
After eating, we’ll go for a walk.

畢業以後，他想去台灣工作。
After graduating, he wants to work in Taiwan.

以後 as “In the Future” (Standalone)

Like 以前, 以後 can stand alone to mean “in the future” or “later on”:

我以後要學日文。
I want to learn Japanese in the future.

以後你會明白的。
You’ll understand later.

以前 vs 以後 Compared

Structure	Meaning	Example
吃飯以前	before eating	吃飯以前洗手 (wash hands before eating)
吃飯以後	after eating	吃飯以後去散步 (walk after eating)
以前 (standalone)	in the past	以前我不喜歡 (I didn’t like it before)
以後 (standalone)	in the future	以後再說 (we’ll talk about it later)

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的時候 (de shíhòu) — When / While

Basic Usage

的時候 marks a temporal clause meaning “when” or “at the time of.”

[Verb/Situation] + 的時候

睡覺的時候 — when sleeping
學中文的時候 — when studying Chinese
在台灣的時候 — when (I was) in Taiwan
你不在的時候 — when you weren’t here

Full sentences:

我學中文的時候，常常會覺得很難。
When I study Chinese, I often feel it is difficult.

她在台灣的時候，每天都去夜市。
When she was in Taiwan, she went to the night market every day.

的時候 vs 以後 / 以前

The key distinction: 的時候 expresses simultaneity or a specific ongoing moment. 以前/以後 express sequence—before or after.

Structure	Meaning	Focus
吃飯的時候	while eating / at the time of eating	Simultaneous / ongoing
吃飯以前	before eating	Sequence (before)
吃飯以後	after eating	Sequence (after)

Compare:

吃飯的時候，他打電話來了。
While we were eating, he called.

吃飯以後，他打電話來了。
After we ate, he called.

Both are correct; the timing differs.

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之前 (zhīqián) and 之後 (zhīhòu) — Formal Before and After

之前 and 之後 are the formal/written equivalents of 以前 and 以後.

The meaning is identical. The register is more formal—used in news articles, academic writing, formal announcements, and careful speech.

Everyday	Formal	Meaning
以前	之前	before / prior to
以後	之後	after / subsequent to

In the Dangdai curriculum, 之前/之後 appear in Book 4 alongside the shift to written Chinese. If you are preparing for TOCFL Band B reading, you will encounter 之前/之後 frequently in newspaper passages.

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後來 (hòulái) — Later (in a narrative)

後來 means “later” in the context of narrating a sequence of past events. Unlike 以後, it cannot begin a sentence that looks forward in time—it is purely retrospective.

Usage:

我到了台北，後來搬到了台中。
I arrived in Taipei; later I moved to Taichung.

一開始他不喜歡臭豆腐，後來愛上了。
At first he didn’t like stinky tofu; later he fell in love with it.

後來 vs 以後:

以後 can refer to future time: 我以後要去台灣 (I want to go to Taiwan in the future).
後來 always refers to past sequence: 後來他去了台灣 (Later [in the story] he went to Taiwan).

If you are telling a story about what happened, use 後來. If you are describing what will happen, use 以後.

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剛才 (gāngcái) — Just Now

剛才 means “just now” or “a moment ago.” It refers to the very recent past.

她剛才說了什麼？
What did she just say?

我剛才看到他了。
I just saw him a moment ago.

剛才 vs 剛 (just / just finished):

剛才 is a time word meaning “a moment ago.”
剛 is an adverb meaning “just” (as in: just completed an action).

他剛走。(He just left — very recently.)
他剛才走了。(He left just now.)

The difference is subtle. 剛 focuses on the recency of a completed action; 剛才 is a specific time reference meaning “moments ago.”

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一…就… (yī…jiù…) — As Soon As

This construction expresses immediate sequence: “as soon as [X], [Y].”

一 + [Verb A] + 就 + [Verb B]

他一回家就睡著了。
As soon as he got home, he fell asleep.

我一聽到這個消息就哭了。
As soon as I heard the news, I started crying.

你一到台北就打電話給我。
As soon as you arrive in Taipei, call me.

一⋯就 implies immediacy—the second event follows the first without delay. It is different from 以後, which simply marks sequence without implying immediacy.

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還沒 (hái méi) and 已經…了 (yǐjīng…le) — Not Yet / Already

These two constructions express the temporal state of an action—whether it has happened yet.

已經…了 — already:

我已經吃飯了。(I have already eaten.)
她已經到了。(She has already arrived.)
他已經學了三年中文了。(He has already studied Chinese for three years.)

還沒 — not yet:

我還沒吃飯。(I haven’t eaten yet.)
她還沒到。(She hasn’t arrived yet.)
他還沒學會。(He hasn’t mastered it yet.)

還沒有 (hái méiyǒu) is the fuller form; 還沒 is the common spoken shortening.

Note: 還沒 does not take 了. Adding 了 to a 還沒 sentence is incorrect.

❌ 我還沒吃飯了。
✓ 我還沒吃飯。

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剛 + Duration: Just Started vs 已經 + Duration + 了

Expressing duration requires distinguishing how long something has been happening.

[Time duration] + 了 — duration of a completed or ongoing state:

我學中文學了三年了。
I have been studying Chinese for three years (and still am).

他在台灣住了兩個月。
He lived in Taiwan for two months (completed).

The position of 了 matters:

• 了 after the verb only: action is completed.
• 了 at the sentence end only: situation is ongoing.
• 了 in both positions (Verb了 + Sentence了): situation has been ongoing for a duration.

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In the TOCFL Exam

Time expressions appear throughout TOCFL listening and reading. The most common errors:

1. Confusing 以前/以後 direction — Is the reference point in the past or future?
2. Misreading 後來 — It is always past narrative, never future.
3. 一⋯就 immediacy — Questions test whether you understand that the second event is immediate, not just subsequent.
4. 了 with duration — Understanding whether an action is completed or ongoing based on 了 placement.

Practice time expression questions under timed conditions. They appear across all Band levels but are especially dense in Band B reading passages.

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Related Reading

• How to Use 的, 地, and 得 in Chinese — The other major structural particles that appear at the same intermediate level.
• Chinese Measure Words (量詞): The Complete Guide — Complements time expressions as an essential grammar building block.
• How to Prepare for TOCFL Band B — Time expressions are a tested category at Band B level.