已经十点了 Already Ten O'Clock

星期六xīngqīliù早上zǎoshang，我wǒ还hái在zài睡觉shuìjiào。

Saturday morning, I was still sleeping.

朋友péngyou打电话dǎ diànhuà给gěi我wǒ：“已经yǐjīng十shí点diǎn了le，你nǐ怎么zěnme还hái没méi起床qǐchuáng？”

My friend called me: "It's already ten o'clock — why aren't you up yet?"

我wǒ一yì听tīng，马上mǎshàng就jiù起床qǐchuáng了le。

As soon as I heard that, I got up right away.

我们wǒmen十shí点diǎn半bàn要yào在zài电影院diànyǐngyuàn门口ménkǒu见面jiànmiàn。

We were supposed to meet at the cinema entrance at ten thirty.

我wǒ只有zhǐyǒu二十èrshí分钟fēnzhōng时间shíjiān，太tài着急zháojí了le。

I only had twenty minutes, and I was so anxious.

我wǒ没méi吃chī早饭zǎofàn，打车dǎchē就jiù去qù了le电影院diànyǐngyuàn。

I didn't eat breakfast — I took a taxi straight to the cinema.

到dào了le门口ménkǒu，朋友péngyou已经yǐjīng在zài那儿nàr等děng我wǒ了le。

When I got to the entrance, my friend was already there waiting for me.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

已经yǐjīngalready

起床qǐchuángto get up

马上mǎshàngright away

见面jiànmiànto meet

着急zháojíanxious; worried

打车dǎchēto take a taxi

已经…了 — already

已经 before a verb or time expression, with 了 at the end, shows something has already happened.

已经十点了，你怎么还没起床？ — It's already ten o'clock — why aren't you up yet?

一…就… — as soon as…, then…

一 + V1，就 + V2 shows the second action happens right after the first.

我一听，马上就起床了。 — As soon as I heard that, I got up right away.

只有 + amount — only have

只有 emphasizes a small or limited quantity.

我只有二十分钟时间，太着急了。 — I only had twenty minutes, and I was so anxious.

1. What did the friend say on the phone?

2. What time were they supposed to meet at the cinema?

3. How did the writer get to the cinema?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.