How to use 时
Event / Situation + 时，Subject + Predicate
时 turns the preceding event or situation into a time expression. It is a compact alternative to 的时候, common in written instructions, descriptions, and more formal speech. The material before 时 tells the reader which occasion you mean; the main clause explains what happens on that occasion. Do not add 的 directly before this standalone 时.
The complete time phrase can introduce the sentence or follow its subject, provided it stays before the main predicate. It can describe a repeated situation as well as a particular past event. Any sense of completion, lateness, or prohibition comes from the surrounding verbs and words such as 才 or 不要.
Examples with pinyin and English
考试时不要说话。
Don't talk when you're taking a test.
我面试时经常会问这个问题。
I often ask this question during job interviews.
会议结束时老板才来。
The boss didn't show up until the meeting was over.
我生气时不想说话。
I don't want to talk when I'm angry.
What to remember
- Use Event + 时 without 的.
- Put the time phrase before the main predicate.
- Context determines whether the occasion is repeated.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
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