How long: 学了两年, 等了半个小时
How long something lasts goes after the verb: 我等了二十分钟. With an object, repeat the verb.
Part of the free A2 Chinese course (about HSK 3). Examples are in Simplified characters with pinyin; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
When or how long?
In Days, dates and clock time you put the time when something happens before the verb: 我八点睡觉 (I go to bed at eight). How long it lasts goes the other way, after the verb:
| When: before the verb | How long: after the verb |
|---|---|
| 我八点睡觉。(Wǒ bā diǎn shuìjiào.) I go to bed at eight. | 我睡了八个小时。(Wǒ shuì le bā gè xiǎoshí.) I slept for eight hours. |
Words for lengths of time
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 五分钟 | wǔ fēnzhōng | five minutes |
| 半个小时 | bàn gè xiǎoshí | half an hour |
| 两个小时 | liǎng gè xiǎoshí | two hours |
| 三天 | sān tiān | three days |
| 两个星期 | liǎng gè xīngqī | two weeks |
| 一个月 | yí gè yuè | one month |
| 一年 | yì nián | one year |
| 很长时间 / 很久 | hěn cháng shíjiān / hěn jiǔ | a long time |
Watch 个: 一个月 is "one month", but 一月 is January. 天 and 年 never take 个. For a length in minutes say 分钟; 分 alone is the minute of the clock (三点二十分).
Verb + 了 + how long
- 我等了半个小时。(Wǒ děng le bàn gè xiǎoshí.)I waited for half an hour.
- 她在北京住了三年。(Tā zài Běijīng zhù le sān nián.)She lived in Beijing for three years.
With an object: two ways
An object (Chinese, TV, the car) can't sit between the verb and the length. Either repeat the verb, or put the length before the object, often with 的:
| Repeat the verb | Length before the object |
|---|---|
| 我学中文学了一年。 | 我学了一年中文。 |
| 他开车开了五个小时。 | 他开了五个小时(的)车。 |
- 他开车开了五个小时。(Tā kāi chē kāi le wǔ gè xiǎoshí.)He drove for five hours.
- 我看了两个小时的电视。(Wǒ kàn le liǎng gè xiǎoshí de diànshì.)I watched TV for two hours.
When the object is a person (him, you, Wang Ming), the length goes after the person: 我等了他二十分钟 = I waited for him for twenty minutes.
Still going: two 了
With one 了 the time is over: 我学了一年中文 can mean "I studied Chinese for a year (and then stopped)". Add a second 了 at the end and it's still going: "I've been studying for a year". This end 了 is the one of 了 at the end: something has changed.
- 我在这儿住了五年了。(Wǒ zài zhèr zhù le wǔ nián le.)I've been living here for five years.
Asking how long
多长时间 (duō cháng shíjiān) or 多久 (duō jiǔ), in the length's place:
- 你学中文学了多长时间了？(Nǐ xué Zhōngwén xué le duō cháng shíjiān le?)How long have you been learning Chinese?
How long since something happened
For "I haven't done it for …", the length goes before 没, with 了 at the end:
- 我两年没回家了。(Wǒ liǎng nián méi huí jiā le.)I haven't been home for two years.
Common mistakes
我两个小时学习了。→ 我学习了两个小时。How long goes after the verb.我学了中文一年。→ 我学中文学了一年, or 我学了一年中文.我学了一月中文。→ 我学了一个月中文。一月 is January.我没见他三年了。→ 我三年没见他了。For "not for …", the length comes before 没.
Practice
- 我每天睡_____。(Wǒ měi tiān shuì ___.)Options: 七个小时 (qī gè xiǎoshí) · 七点 (qī diǎn) · 七月 (qī yuè)
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七个小时 (qī gè xiǎoshí) — A length of time: number + 个小时. 七点 is seven o'clock, 七月 is July.
- Which sentence means 'I studied for three hours'?Options: 我学习了三个小时。(Wǒ xuéxí le sān gè xiǎoshí.) · 我三个小时学习了。(Wǒ sān gè xiǎoshí xuéxí le.) · 我学习了三点。(Wǒ xuéxí le sān diǎn.)
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我学习了三个小时。(Wǒ xuéxí le sān gè xiǎoshí.) — How long goes after the verb, and three hours is 三个小时, not three o'clock.
- 他游泳游_____一个小时。(Tā yóuyǒng yóu ___ yí gè xiǎoshí.)
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了 — Repeat the verb, then 了 + how long.
- Translate: I waited for twenty minutes. (to wait = 等 děng)
Show the answer
我等了二十分钟