Not having verb conjugations in Chinese brings a lot of flexibility when we want to talk about timeframes or events. Let’s use the future tense as an example! And the cake, because who doesn’t like cake? 🎂😂 You will need the following word base:
我 (wǒ) means “I,” 做 (zuò) stands for “to make” and 蛋糕 (dàn gāo) is “cake.” Altogether, 我做蛋糕 means “I make (a) cake.” Easy as pie!
🎂 Now, to say your plan is to make a cake tonight (今晚; jīnwǎn), you just need to:
1️⃣ add the time word 今晚 to the basics.
今晚我做蛋糕。(lit. tonight I make a cake).
2️⃣ add both time word and 要 (yào; be going to)
今晚我要做蛋糕。(lit. tonight I am going to make a cake).
3️⃣ add both time word and 會/会 (huì; will)
今晚我會做蛋糕/今晚我会做蛋糕。(lit. tonight I will make a cake).
Three ways, your choice! Which one is the easiest for you? And how do you talk about the future in the languages you know? Let us know by tagging #Chineasy on Twitter or Instagram!
