Introduction
次 (cì) counts actions, the way 个 (ge) counts things. 我去过三次。(Wǒ qùguo sān cì.) — I've been three times. It goes after the verb, in the same slot a duration takes — because "how many times" and "how long" are the same kind of information.
Overview
Structure: Subj. + Verb + 了 (le) / 过 (guo) + Number + 次 (cì)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| V + 了 + Number + 次 | 我看了两次。(Wǒ kàn le liǎng cì.) | I watched it twice. |
| V + 过 + Number + 次 | 我去过三次。(Wǒ qùguo sān cì.) | I've been three times. |
| V + Number + 次 + Obj | 我去过三次中国。(Wǒ qùguo sān cì Zhōngguó.) | I've been to China three times. |
| V + Pronoun + Number + 次 | 我找了他三次。(Wǒ zhǎo le tā sān cì.) | I looked for him three times. |
| 第 + Number + 次 | 这是我第一次来。(Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái.) | This is my first time here. |
An ordinary noun goes after the count; a pronoun goes before it:
- ✓ 我去过三次中国。(Wǒ qùguo sān cì Zhōngguó.) — the place follows 三次.
- ✓ 我找了他三次。(Wǒ zhǎo le tā sān cì.) — the pronoun comes first.
- ❌ 我找了三次他。(Wǒ zhǎo le sān cì tā.)
- 次 (cì) counts whole occasions. For "a whole way through" — a book, a film — the word is 遍 (biàn): 我看了两遍。(Wǒ kàn le liǎng biàn.)
Examples
我去过三次中国。
Wǒ qùguo sān cì Zhōngguó.
I've been to China three times.
这个电影我看了两次。
Zhège diànyǐng wǒ kàn le liǎng cì.
I've watched this film twice.
我找了他三次，他都不在。
Wǒ zhǎo le tā sān cì, tā dōu bú zài.
I looked for him three times and he was never in.
这是我第一次来北京。
Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái Běijīng.
This is my first time in Beijing.
我每个星期去两次。
Wǒ měi ge xīngqī qù liǎng cì.
I go twice a week.
请再说一次。
Qǐng zài shuō yí cì.
Please say it once more.
Usage Notes
- 次 (cì) sits in the same slot as a duration, which is why 我学了三年 (wǒ xué le sān nián) and 我去了三次 (wǒ qù le sān cì) look alike.
- "Two times" is 两次 (liǎng cì), never 二次 (èr cì) — 两 (liǎng) is the form used before every measure word.
- 一次 is yí cì, since 次 (cì) is 4th tone.
- With 第 (dì) it becomes an ordinal: 第一次 (dì yī cì) the first time，第二次 (dì èr cì) the second. Note that 一 keeps its first tone after 第.
- 每次 (měi cì) — every time — builds on the same measure word, and normally brings 都 (dōu) with it.