我打電話過去時，瑪莉已經做了一小時的針線活兒。

Mary had been knitting for an hour when I called.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

1 我 wǒ
  1. I
  2. me
  3. my
2 打電話 dǎdiànhuà to make a telephone call
3 過去時 guòqùshí past tense (grammar)
4 瑪莉 Mǎlì a transliteration of the English female given name Mary
5 已經 yǐjīng already
6 做 zuò
  1. to make; to produce
  2. to write; to compose
  3. to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc)
  4. (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, friends etc)
  5. (of a thing) to serve as; to be used for
  6. to assume (an air or manner)
=7 了 le
  1. (completed action marker)
  2. (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)
  3. (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
=7 了 liǎo
  1. to finish
  2. (used with 得 dé or 不 bù after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了 wàngbuliǎo "cannot forget")
  3. (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 无 wú or 不 bù) completely (not); entirely (not); (not) in the least
  4. to understand clearly (variant of 了 liǎo)
=7 了 liǎo
  1. (of eyes) bright
  2. clear-sighted
  3. to understand clearly
=7 了 liào unofficial variant of 瞭 liào
8 一小 yīxiǎo
  1. (dialectal) since childhood; as a child; from when one was very young
  2. since childhood; as a child; from when one was very young
=9 時 Shí surname Shi
=9 時 shí
  1. o'clock
  2. time
  3. when
  4. hour
  5. season
  6. period
=10 的 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 pígéde "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. dì or di in poetry and songs
=10 的 dī a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 dīshì)
=10 的 dí really and truly
=10 的 dì (bound form) bull's-eye; target
11 針線活兒 zhēnxiànhuór
  1. needlework
  2. working for a living as a needleworker