noun / time word HSK 1
yesterday
Meaning
昨天 means 'yesterday' and refers to the day immediately before today. It is one of the most fundamental time expressions in Mandarin and is taught at the earliest stages of learning.
Usage
昨天 functions as a time word that typically appears at the beginning of a sentence or after the subject, before the verb. It can stand alone as an answer to 'when' questions. Unlike English, it doesn't require a preposition ('on yesterday' is incorrect in both languages).
Examples
- 01昨天我去了超市。.I went to the supermarket yesterday.
- 02你昨天做什么了？?What did you do yesterday?
Characters
Common collocations
- 昨天晚上yesterday evening
- 昨天下午yesterday afternoon
- 昨天早上yesterday morning
Antonyms
Origin
昨 combines the sun radical (日) with 乍 (suddenly), suggesting the sun of a moment that just passed. 天 means 'day.' Together they literally mean 'the day that just passed.'