Chinese does not change verbs for tense
In English, verbs often change with time: “walk,” “walked,” “will walk.” In Chinese, the verb usually stays the same. Time is shown by time words, context, or grammar markers.
| Chinese verb | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 收到 ♬ | to receive |
| 檢查 ♬ | to check |
| 聯絡 ♬ | to contact |
The verb itself does not change. Other parts of the sentence tell you when the action happens.
1. Use time words
The simplest way to show time in Chinese is to add a time word, such as 昨天 ♬, 現在 ♬, or 下週 ♬.
| Time word | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 昨天 ♬ | yesterday |
| 現在 ♬ | now |
| 下週 ♬ | next week |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 我昨天收到通知。 ♬ | I received the notice yesterday. |
| 我現在檢查資料。 ♬ | I am checking the materials now. |
| 我下週聯絡負責人。 ♬ | I will contact the person in charge next week. |
Notice that 收到, 檢查, and 聯絡 do not change form.
2. Use 了 for a completed change or result
了 ♬ often shows that an action is completed or that a situation has changed. It does not simply mean “past tense.”
| Marker | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 了 ♬ | completion; change of situation |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 名單更新了。 ♬ | The list has been updated. |
| 會場準備好了。 ♬ | The venue is ready. |
These sentences focus on a result or changed state.
3. Use 過 for experience
過 ♬ is used when talking about experience. It means someone has done something before at least once.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Subject + Verb + 過 | Subject has done something before |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 我用過這個系統。 ♬ | I have used this system before. |
| 她參觀過那間美術館。 ♬ | She has visited that art museum before. |
過 is about experience, not just a finished action.
4. Use 正在 or 在 for actions in progress
To show that something is happening now, use 正在 ♬ or 在 ♬ before the verb.
| Marker | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 正在 ♬ | be doing something right now |
| 在 ♬ | be doing something |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 工程師正在測試功能。 ♬ | The engineer is testing the feature right now. |
| 櫃台在處理資料。 ♬ | The front desk is processing the materials. |
5. Context can also show time
Sometimes Chinese does not need a time word. If the context is already clear, the sentence can stay short.
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 結果出來了。 ♬ | The result is out. |
| 系統還沒恢復。 ♬ | The system has not recovered yet. |
Chinese often cares more about whether the action is completed, ongoing, experienced, or expected than about changing the verb itself.
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