There are 16 tenses in Chinese…

The concept of tense has 2 components: time and aspect, since time is conceived of differently is different languages, let’s confine ourselves to English, where time can be divided into past, present, future in the past (e.g., when you reflect on a comment about time a future event that you made on a past occasion). Aspect refers to the manner in which an action takes place. The distinction of aspect made in English are indefinite, continuous / progressive, perfect, and perfect continuous / progressive.

These 4 times and 4 aspects a matrix which generates a total of 16 different verb forms:

1. I write a letter.

2. I wrote a letter.

3. I will write a letter.

4. (I said) I would write a letter.

5. I am writing a letter.

6. I was writing a letter.

7. I will be writing a letter.

8. (I said) I would be writing a letter.

9. I have written a letter.

10. (I thought) I had written a letter.

11. I will have written a letter.

12. (I said) I would have written a letter.

13. I have been writing a letter.

14. (I though) I had been writing a letter.

15. I will have been writing a letter.

16. (I said) I would have been writing a letter.

There are 12 tenses in English…

1.基本時態：

a.現在時態(present tense)

He turns pale.

b.過去時態(past tense)

He went to town yesterday.

c.未來時態(future tense)

No good man will soon be rich.

2.完成時態

a.現在完成時態(present perfect tense)

I have finished this lesson.

b.過去完成時態(past perfect tense)

I had finished my work before you came.

c.未來完成時態(future perfect tense)

He will have left home before you arrive.

3.進行時態

a.現在進行時態(present progressive tense)

He is writing a letter now.

b.過去進行時態(past progressive tense)

While he was reading, a bullet flew in through the window.

c.未來進行時態(future progressive tense)

Tomorrow at this moment, we shall be working in the factory.

4.完成進行時態

a.現在完成進行時態(present perfect progressive tense)

I have been waiting for a long time.

b.過去完成進行時態(past perfect progressive tense)

An hour ago when UI opened the window, I saw that it had been snowing.

c.未來完成進行時態(future perfect progressive tense)

By the end of this year, I shall have been studying in this school for four years.

1. HanYu(漢語) is the standard pronunciation of Beijing words, also called Mandarin, or ZhongWen (中文).

2. A syllable in Chinese is usually composed of an initial, a final a tone mark.
A finial (consonant) is always at the beginning of a syllable, it cannot exist by itself.
A final (vowel) is always at the end of a syllable, most can also stand by itself.
A tone mark is always on the first letter of the final’s main vowel.

3. There are four basic tones in HanYu. First, Second, third, fourth, plus a neutral tone.
The First tone ( – ) is hi9h and level. It’s near the top of your comfortable voice range.
**On the top of your comfortable voice and say, “ah….”

The Second tone (ˊ) Starts around the middle of your voice range and rises straight toward the level of the first tone. Do not let it sag.
**To show your unbelievable surprise and say, “What?”

The Third Tone (ˇ) begins near the bottom of your comfortable voice range, proceeds to reach the bottom, then turns upward to end above the middle.
Thinking of this rise at the end, many students make the mistake of notreachin9 the very bottom of their ran9e at the beginning. You must thinking pronouncing the third tone.
**Waiting for an answer and say, “Well?”

The Fourth Tone (ˋ) begins Qt the top of your comfortable range (same as the First Tone),then drop quickly to the bottom.
**Telling somebody off and say, “No!”The Neutral Tone (shown by the absence of a tone mark) is unstressed and takes a feeble tone in the middle of your voice range.
**Compare your intonation with the Second part of “many”.

***Third Tone Sandhi (tone mark remains the same)
a)When a third-tone syllable is followed by another third tone syllable, the first of the two chan9es to a second tone, however. The tone mark remains the same.

b)When a third-tone syllable is followed by two or more third-tone syllables, the third tone sandhi rule can telescope upon itself and change some or all but the final syllable to second tone, and the tone-graphs remain the same.

***Half Third Tone (tone mark remains the same)
a)The Half-third tone is Q variant of the third tone. It begins as the regular third tone does, but. Having reached its low point: it remains at that level without rising again.

b)A third-tone syllable is pronounced in the half third tone when it is immediately followed by any tones other than third.

the table of comparison