Using "o'clock" - abbreviations

[Christa]

When I learned Chinese, I learned that when you say something like "At three o'clock, I went to the supermarket" or "I'm gonna take the train at three o'clock" you said "at three o'clock" as: 在三點的時候.

 

Now, I've noticed native speakers from different parts of the country abbreviating this differently. I've heard 在三點 and 三點時 and I've had both tell me that the other way is wrong.

 

So I was wondering, which do you consider a normal abbreviation and is there any way that's definitely considered a standard abbreviation for say "at ... o'clock" as part of a sentence?

 

Christa

[Beelzebro]

I would normally just say 我三点去了超市. The 的时候 only really becomes necessary in more complex sentences to make the timeframe clearer, while 时 is just a contraction of 的时候 and is normally used in written contexts rather than spoken. The 在 also feels optional. Just my two cents, I'm interested in other people's responses too.

[QAQo.]

They are correct in speaking Chinese. 

 

(在)三點(的)時(候)，我去了超市。

（At three o’clock, I went to the supermarket.）

In this case, you could say,

在三點的時候，

在三點時，

在三點，

三點時，

三點的時候.

 

[abcdefg]

Don't forget 三点钟 is also an option. Not rare or antique.