zuótiān: 昨天 - Yesterday

• Keywords: zuotian, zuo tian, 昨天, yesterday in Chinese, how to say yesterday in Chinese, Chinese time words, past tense in Chinese, Mandarin beginner grammar, HSK 1 vocabulary.
• Summary: Learn how to say “yesterday” in Chinese with the essential term 昨天 (zuótiān). This comprehensive guide, designed for beginners, breaks down the characters, explains its crucial role in talking about the past without verb tenses, and provides 10 practical example sentences. Master this HSK 1 word and start describing your past experiences in Mandarin today.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): zuótiān
• Part of Speech: Noun (Time Word)
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: The day before today; yesterday.
• In a Nutshell: 昨天 (zuótiān) is the direct and most common way to say “yesterday” in Mandarin Chinese. As a fundamental “time word,” it's one of the first terms learners acquire. Unlike in English where we change verbs to show past tense (e.g., “go” becomes “went”), Chinese relies on time words like 昨天 placed near the beginning of a sentence to establish the time frame. It's a simple, powerful tool for talking about the past.

• 昨 (zuó): This character means “yesterday” or “the past.” It is composed of two parts: the radical 日 (rì) on the left, which means “sun” or “day,” and 乍 (zhà) on the right, which provides the phonetic sound. You can think of it as “the day (日) that has just passed.”
• 天 (tiān): This character is very common and means “day” or “sky.” It is a stylized pictograph of a person with a large head, representing the vast sky above.
• Together, 昨天 (zuótiān) literally combines to mean “the past day,” a very logical and straightforward construction for “yesterday.”

The true significance of 昨天 (zuótiān) isn't in a deep philosophical meaning, but in what it reveals about the structure of the Chinese language and its approach to time. In English, time is deeply embedded in our verbs through tense conjugation (“I eat,” “I ate,” “I will eat”). The action itself is marked with time. In Chinese, the verb for “eat,” 吃 (chī), never changes. Instead, time is established externally with explicit time words. You don't say “I ate an apple.” You say, “Yesterday, I eat an apple” (我昨天吃了一个苹果 - Wǒ zuótiān chī le yí ge píngguǒ). This makes time words like 昨天 (zuótiān), 今天 (jīntiān - today), and 明天 (míngtiān - tomorrow) grammatically essential, not just descriptive. This linguistic difference reflects a worldview where the context and timing of an event are stated clearly and separately from the action itself, rather than being fused into it. For a learner, mastering the placement of these words is the key to unlocking expression of time.

昨天 (zuótiān) is used constantly in all forms of communication, from casual conversation to formal writing. Its usage is neutral and factual. The most important rule to remember is its sentence placement. Unlike English, where “yesterday” can often go at the end of a sentence, 昨天 must come before the verb. The two most common structures are: 1. Subject + 昨天 + Verb Phrase: 我 昨天 去了北京。(Wǒ zuótiān qùle Běijīng.) - I went to Beijing yesterday. 2. 昨天, + Subject + Verb Phrase: 昨天，我去了北京。(Zuótiān, wǒ qùle Běijīng.) - Yesterday, I went to Beijing. It is also frequently combined with other parts of the day:

• 昨天早上 (zuótiān zǎoshang): Yesterday morning
• 昨天下午 (zuótiān xiàwǔ): Yesterday afternoon
• 昨天晚上 (zuótiān wǎnshang): Yesterday evening/night

• Example 1:
  • 我 昨天 很忙。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuótiān hěn máng.
  • English: I was very busy yesterday.
  • Analysis: A simple statement using the Subject + Time + Adjective structure. Note that the verb “to be” (是 shì) is not needed here.
• Example 2:
  • 你 昨天 去哪儿了？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ zuótiān qù nǎr le?
  • English: Where did you go yesterday?
  • Analysis: A common question structure. The particle `了 (le)` indicates the completion of the action “go” (去 qù).
• Example 3:
  • 昨天 的天气非常好。
  • Pinyin: Zuótiān de tiānqì fēicháng hǎo.
  • English: Yesterday's weather was extremely good.
  • Analysis: Here, `昨天` functions as a modifier for “weather” (天气 tiānqì) using the particle `的 (de)`.
• Example 4:
  • 他 昨天 没来上班。
  • Pinyin: Tā zuótiān méi lái shàngbān.
  • English: He didn't come to work yesterday.
  • Analysis: To negate a past action, use `没 (méi)` or `没有 (méiyǒu)`. When `没` is used, the completion particle `了 (le)` is dropped.
• Example 5:
  • 我们 昨天 晚上一起吃的饭。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen zuótiān wǎnshang yìqǐ chī de fàn.
  • English: We had dinner together yesterday evening.
  • Analysis: This example uses a more specific time, `昨天晚上 (zuótiān wǎnshang)`. The `是…的 (shì…de)` structure (with `是` omitted) is used to emphasize the time and manner of the past event.
• Example 6:
  • 这件衣服是我 昨天 买的。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiàn yīfu shì wǒ zuótiān mǎi de.
  • English: I bought this piece of clothing yesterday. (Lit: This piece of clothing is the one I bought yesterday.)
  • Analysis: Another classic `是…的 (shì…de)` sentence, used to emphasize details (when, where, how) about a past event. It's a very common pattern.
• Example 7:
  • 你收到我 昨天 发的邮件了吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ shōudào wǒ zuótiān fā de yóujiàn le ma?
  • English: Did you receive the email I sent yesterday?
  • Analysis: This shows `昨天` within a modifying clause. “The email (邮件) that I sent (发) yesterday (昨天).”
• Example 8:
  • 他看起来比 昨天 好多了。
  • Pinyin: Tā kànqǐlái bǐ zuótiān hǎo duō le.
  • English: He looks much better than yesterday.
  • Analysis: Using `昨天` in a comparison with `比 (bǐ)`. This demonstrates its versatility as a reference point in time.
• Example 9:
  • 我忘了 昨天 的作业是什么。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ wàng le zuótiān de zuòyè shì shénme.
  • English: I forgot what yesterday's homework was.
  • Analysis: Similar to example 3, `昨天` is used with `的 (de)` to mean “yesterday's.”
• Example 10:
  • 从 昨天 开始，我决定每天跑步。
  • Pinyin: Cóng zuótiān kāishǐ, wǒ juédìng měitiān pǎobù.
  • English: Starting from yesterday, I decided to run every day.
  • Analysis: Using the structure `从…开始 (cóng…kāishǐ)` to mean “starting from…” This establishes a clear starting point in the past.

The most common mistake English speakers make is a direct result of English grammar: placing the time word at the end of the sentence.

• INCORRECT: 我看了一部电影昨天。(Wǒ kànle yí bù diànyǐng zuótiān.)
  • This word order mimics the English “I watched a movie yesterday” but is grammatically wrong in Mandarin. It will sound very unnatural to a native speaker.
• CORRECT: 我昨天看了一部电影。(Wǒ zuótiān kànle yí bù diànyǐng.)
  • The time word must come before the verb “watch” (看 kàn).
• ALSO CORRECT: 昨天，我看了一部电影。(Zuótiān, wǒ kànle yí bù diànyǐng.)
  • Placing the time word at the very beginning of the sentence is also perfectly correct and very common, often used to set the scene.

Remember the rule: Time before Action.

• 今天 (jīntiān) - Today. The direct counterpart to 昨天.
• 明天 (míngtiān) - Tomorrow. Completes the essential trio of basic day references.
• 前天 (qiántiān) - The day before yesterday. `前 (qián)` means “front” or “before.”
• 后天 (hòutiān) - The day after tomorrow. `后 (hòu)` means “back” or “after.”
• 去年 (qùnián) - Last year. Shows how different time units are handled. `去 (qù)` means “to go,” so it's the “year that has gone.”
• 昨天晚上 (zuótiān wǎnshang) - Yesterday evening/night. A more specific time reference.
• 当时 (dāngshí) - At that time; then. A more general way to refer to a specific moment in the past.
• 以前 (yǐqián) - Before; previously; in the past. A general term for the past, much broader than the specific day of 昨天.
• 刚才 (gāngcái) - Just now; a moment ago. Refers to the very recent past, often minutes ago, distinguishing it from the broader 昨天.