The Chinese tenses
When something happens and how it is seen — finished, in progress, already done before: that is the question every tense answers. Here are all the topics about it, each with its own page and its own exercises.
All 13 topics on tense and time
1Time words before the verbWhen something happens goes before the verb, and a date or a clock time runs from the biggest unit to the smallest.2Zài and zhèngzài … ne: an action in progressZài or zhèngzài before the verb, often with ne at the end, says that an action is going on.2Verb + le: an action done and completeLe straight after a verb presents an action as finished and complete — most often with a number or an amount after it.2Sentence-final le: something has changedLe at the very end of a sentence says that a situation is new: it has changed, or it is now the case.3Two le in one sentence, and when to leave le outVerb-le plus sentence-le says that something has gone on up to now — and many past sentences need no le at all.2Méi and méiyǒu: it did not happenTo say that something did not happen, put méi or méiyǒu before the verb — and drop le.2Guo: having done something beforeGuo after a verb says that something has happened at least once, at some point in the past.3Zhe: a lasting state, and doing while doingZhe after a verb describes the state an action leaves behind — and, before a second verb, the way something is done.2About to happen: yào … le, kuài … le, jiù yào … leYào, kuài or jiù yào before the verb and le at the end say that something is just about to happen.2Hái méi … ne: not yetHái méi before the verb, often with ne at the end, says that something has not happened yet but is expected to.2Shì … de: when, where and how it happenedWhen both speakers know that something happened, shì … de puts the spotlight on a detail: when, where, how, or with whom.2How long: the length of time after the verbA point in time goes before the verb, a length of time after it.2When, before and after: de shíhou, yǐqián and yǐhòuA whole clause becomes a time phrase with de shíhou, yǐqián or yǐhòu after it, and it goes before the main clause.
Practise the tenses
Exercises from every topic on tense and time, mixed together. That is exactly the hard part: almost anyone can build a form when it says next to it which one is meant.