2 · Time and place
When, before, after: de shíhou
time clauses
A whole clause becomes a time phrase with de shíhou, yǐqián or yǐhòu after it, and it goes before the main clause.
English time clauses begin with a conjunction: “when I was a child”, “before you leave”. Chinese puts the marker at the end: 我小的时候, literally “I-small’s time”, and 你走以前, “you leave before”. The result works like a time word, so it goes before the main clause.
…的时候 is “when, while”: a stretch of time in which something is the case. 我吃饭的时候不看手机, “I don’t look at my phone while I eat”. The 的 is the same one that joins any description to a noun; here the noun is 时候, “time”.
以前 and 以后 follow a clause directly, with no 的: 吃饭以前, “before eating”, 下课以后, “after class”. After short phrases and in writing, the shorter 前 and 后 are common: 饭后, 睡前.
The English-speaker’s mistakes are to start with the marker — 以前 at the front of a clause means “in the past”, not “before” — and to translate “when” with 什么时候, which only asks a question. Written Chinese can add 当 at the front, but the marker at the end stays.
The form
| when | 我小的时候 |
| before | 睡觉以前 |
| after | 下课以后 |
| in a sentence | 我吃饭的时候不看手机。 |
| written, with dāng | 当我到家的时候，天已经黑了。 |
| short forms | 饭后、睡前 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The marker comes at the end of the time clause, and the time clause comes before the main clause.
我回家的时候，妈妈在做饭。When I got home, my mother was cooking.
以前 and 以后 follow the clause directly, without 的.
吃饭以前要洗手。Wash your hands before you eat.
The subject of the main clause can stand before the time clause or after it.
我下了班以后去健身房。After work I go to the gym.
Do not translate “when” with 什么时候: that only asks a question.
你有空的时候给我打个电话。Give me a call when you have time.
A closer look
Yǐqián and yǐhòu on their own
Without a clause in front, the two words mean “in the past” and “from now on, later”: 以前我不喝咖啡, “I used not to drink coffee”; 以后我会注意, “I will be careful from now on”. After a length of time they mean “ago” and “later”: 三年以前, “three years ago”, 两天以后, “two days later”.
之前 and 之后 do the same job as 以前 and 以后 and sound a little more formal; they are common in writing and in announcements: 开会之前, “before the meeting”.
How to spot it
- 的时候
- 以前
- 以后
- 当…的时候
- 之前
- 之后
Example sentences
我小的时候很怕狗。When I was little, I was afraid of dogs.
他来中国以前学过一点儿汉语。Before he came to China, he had learned a little Chinese.
下雨的时候我喜欢在家看书。When it rains I like to stay at home and read.
到了北京以后给我发个消息。Send me a message once you get to Beijing.
上课的时候不能说话。You mustn’t talk during class.
睡觉以前别喝咖啡。Don’t drink coffee before bed.
7 more example sentences
我上大学的时候住在学校里。When I was at university, I lived on campus.
开车的时候不要打电话。Don’t make phone calls while you’re driving.
毕业以后你想做什么？What do you want to do after you graduate?
出门以前别忘了带钥匙。Don’t forget your keys when you go out.
我看到他的时候，他正在打电话。When I saw him, he was on the phone.
当我们到车站的时候，火车已经开走了。By the time we got to the station, the train had already left.
吃完饭以后我们去散步吧。Let’s go for a walk after we’ve eaten.
Worth knowing (1)
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De shíhou or yǐhòu?
English “when” often means “after”: “when you get there, ring me”. Chinese prefers 以后 for a step that follows another, and keeps 的时候 for things that happen at the same time.
到了以后给我打电话。Ring me when you get there.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “before you leave” puts “before” first, and learners copy the order. In Chinese 以前 follows the clause it belongs to; at the front of a sentence it means “in the past”, and the sentence falls apart.
The clause first, then de shíhou, yǐqián or yǐhòu — and then what happens.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.