Questions with 什么时候

什么时候 (shénme shíhou) means when.

It sits where a time word sits: after the subject, before the verb.

Ordinary time words like 今天 (today), 明天 (tomorrow), 昨天 (yesterday), 现在 (now), 早上 (morning), 下午 (afternoon), and 晚上 (evening) sit in that exact same slot — which is why they work as natural answers to a 什么时候 question.

Once you can ask when, you can find out the schedule for almost anything — classes, meals, meetings.

Structure

Subject + 什么时候 + Verb + Object？

你喝茶。 Nǐ hē chá. You drink tea. → 你什么时候喝茶？ Nǐ shénme shíhou hē chá? When do you drink tea?

Examples

你什么时候喝茶？ Nǐ shénme shíhou hē chá?

Breakdown: 你 (you) · 什么时候 (when) · 喝 (drink) · 茶 (tea)

→ When do you drink tea? — 我现在喝茶。 (I drink tea now.)

他什么时候学习中文？ Tā shénme shíhou xuéxí Zhōngwén?

Breakdown: 他 (he) · 什么时候 (when) · 学习 (study) · 中文 (Chinese)

→ When does he study Chinese? — 他晚上学习中文。 (He studies Chinese in the evening.)

她什么时候吃饭？ Tā shénme shíhou chī fàn?

Breakdown: 她 (she) · 什么时候 (when) · 吃 (eat) · 饭 (meal)

→ When does she eat? — 她早上吃饭。 (She eats in the morning.)

你们什么时候有课？ Nǐmen shénme shíhou yǒu kè?

Breakdown: 你们 (you plural) · 什么时候 (when) · 有 (have) · 课 (class)

→ When do you have class? — 我们下午有课。 (We have class in the afternoon.)

老师什么时候喝水？ Lǎoshī shénme shíhou hē shuǐ?

Breakdown: 老师 (teacher) · 什么时候 (when) · 喝 (drink) · 水 (water)

→ When does the teacher drink water? — 老师今天喝水。 (The teacher drinks water today.)

你什么时候学习中文？ Nǐ shénme shíhou xuéxí Zhōngwén?

Breakdown: 你 (you) · 什么时候 (when) · 学习 (study) · 中文 (Chinese)

→ When do you study Chinese? — 我明天学习中文。 (I study Chinese tomorrow.)

你什么时候有课？ Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu kè?

Breakdown: 你 (you) · 什么时候 (when) · 有 (have) · 课 (class)

→ When do you have class? — 我昨天有课。 (I had class yesterday.)

Common Mistakes

Putting 什么时候 at the end

- Incorrect: 你喝茶什么时候？ (Nǐ hē chá shénme shíhou?) - Correct: 你什么时候喝茶？ (Nǐ shénme shíhou hē chá?) — When do you drink tea?

Breaking the subject-first order

- Incorrect: 什么时候你是喝茶？ (Shénme shíhou nǐ shì hē chá?) - Correct: 你什么时候喝茶？ (Nǐ shénme shíhou hē chá?) — When do you drink tea?

What Can You Say Now?

You can now ask when something happens instead of just stating facts — 你什么时候学习中文？ (When do you study Chinese?) or 老师什么时候有课？ (When does the teacher have class?). Try asking a friend when they usually drink their morning tea or coffee, using 什么时候 right after the subject.

Quick Summary

Subject + 什么时候 + Verb: 你什么时候喝茶？