Chinese phrase
差〜分〜点 chà 〜 fēn 〜 diǎn
Meaning
___ minutes to ___
When to use it
This pattern gives the minutes left before a stated hour. It is a brief way to tell the time in everyday conversation.
Example dialogue
火车什么时候发？ huǒ chē shén me shí hòu fā
When does the train leave?
现在差五分钟就八点了，火车马上要开了，快上车。 xiàn zài chà wǔ fēn zhōng jiù bā diǎn le huǒ chē mǎ shàng yào kāi le kuài shàng chē
It's five minutes to eight now, and the train is about to leave, so hurry and get on.