In this episode, we’ve learned how to ask “What time is it?”, “When are you going?”, and also time on the clock and different parts of the day.
(These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.)
SENTENCES AND VOCABULARY
| TAIWANESE | ENGLISH |
| Thô-hn̂g ki-tiûnn | Taoyuan Airport |
| ki-tiûnn | airport |
| ki-tiûnn tsia̍t-ūn | airport MRT, or the Airport Metro Train |
| tsia̍t-ūn | MRT, metro |
| Tâi-pak tshia-tsām | Taipei Main Station |
| Ko-thih | High Speed Rail, HSR |
| Lâm-káng tsām | Nangang Station |
| Thô-hn̂g tsām | Taoyuan Station |
| Tsit-má kuí tiám? | What time is it? |
| Tsit-má sì tiám sì-tsa̍p-gōo (hun). | It is 4:45.
Pronunciation note: The tone change of “tiám” is optional here. Usage note: For numbers larger than 10, the word “hun” (minute) is sometimes left off. |
| tsit-má | now |
| tiám | o’clock; dot, point
Usage note: number (colloquial reading) + “tiám”. The “colloquial” reading of numbers is generally used for counting things. You can listen to episode 14 for more about the “colloquial” and “literary” pronunciations of numbers. |
| tiám-tsing | hour (duration) |
| tsi̍t tiám-tsing | one hour |
| hun | minute
Usage note: “hun” can be used for both the minute of clock time and minutes in duration. |
| hun-tsing | minute (duration) |
| tshit tiám (khòng) tsi̍t hun | 7:01 |
| káu tiám tsiànn | 9:00 on the dot; right at nine o’clock |
| peh tiám puànn | 8:30; half past eight |
| puànn | half |
| (tsi̍t) tiám puànn | 1:30; half past one |
| gōo tiám tsa̍p-gōo (hun) | 5:15 |
| tsái-khí káu tiám | 9:00 in the morning |
| tsái-khí | morning, in the morning
Culture note: There are a number of ways to say the different parts of the day, depending on dialect, regional preferences, and how specific you want to get, e.g. “daybreak” as opposed to “morning”. Beside “tsái-khí”, the word “morning” has other variations such as “tsái-sî-á”, “e-tsá”, and “e-tsái-á”. |
| tiong-tàu tsa̍p-jī tiám | 12 noon |
| tiong-tàu | midday (usually 11-1pm) |
| e-tàu | afternoon; early afternoon |
| e-poo | afternoon; late afternoon |
| àm-sî | evening and night; nighttime |
| e-hng / e-hng-àm | evening and night; tonight
Pronunciation note: “e-hng-àm” is usually contracted as “ing-àm”. |
| puànn-mê / puànn-mî | the 2-hour period around midnight; late into the night |
| Lí tang-sî beh khì? | When are you going? |
| tang-sî | when |
| Guá e-poo beh khì. | I’m going in the afternoon. |
| Lí kuí tiám beh khì? | What time are you going? |
| Guá e-poo nn̄g tiám puànn beh khì. | I’m going at 2:30 in the afternoon. |
| In kuí tiám beh lâi? | When are they coming? |
*Syllables that have been greyed out require tone changes.
TIME PHRASE AND WORD ORDER
In Taiwanese, the time is typically put before the verb, but still after the subject. Also notice that the preposition “at” in English is usually not needed or translated in Taiwanese.
Within a time phrase, we always go from the general to the more specific, e.g. year → month → date/day → morning/evening → clock time.
| Subject | Time | Verb |
| Guá | e-poo nn̄g tiám puànn | beh khì. |
| (I) | (afternoon, 2-o’clock-half) | (am going) |
If you want to emphasize the time as the topic, it’s possible to move it before the subject at the front of the sentence.
When forming a question, the question word for time like “tang-sî” (when), or “kuí tiám” (what time), is placed in the same position and the word order remains the same.
| Subject | Question Word for Time | Verb |
| Lí | tang-sî | beh khì? |
| Lí | kuí tiám | beh khì? |
For more about telling time and related expressions, go check out our downloadable workbook! You’ll also find additional vocabulary with characters, pronunciation notes, grammar explanations, culture tips, and fun exercises to help your practice.
Music Credit: TeknoAXE