Expression of a Period of Time

Usage:

In Mandarin Chinese, various constructions and adverbs are used to express a period of time, indicating duration or a time span.

Examples:

• 我们学习了两个小时。(Wǒmen xuéxí le liǎng gè xiǎoshí.) - We studied for two hours.
• 她在北京住了三年。(Tā zài Běijīng zhù le sān nián.) - She lived in Beijing for three years.
• 他每天跑步半个小时。(Tā měitiān pǎobù bàn gè xiǎoshí.) - He runs for half an hour every day.
• 我已经等了你一个小时。(Wǒ yǐjīng děng le nǐ yī gè xiǎoshí.) - I have been waiting for you for an hour.

Additional Notes:

• To indicate a period of time, words like "了" (le) and "已经" (yǐjīng) are often used to emphasize the completion or duration of an action.
• The word "半" (bàn) means "half" and is frequently used to indicate half of a time period, such as half an hour or half a year.
• For more precise time indications, combinations can be used, for example, "两个半小时" (liǎng gè bàn xiǎoshí) - two and a half hours.