Total Chinese Level 1

1. Lesson 12 What day is today? 今天是几月几日？
Learning Objectives:
After completing the lesson, you will be able to
• Ask and tell dates
• Ask and tell times
• Make appointments
Dialogue
Li Dashan: 林君，你现在去哪儿？
Lín Jūn, nǐ xiànzài qù nǎr?
Lin Jun: 我现在要去上课。
Wǒ xiànzài yào qù shàngkè.
Li Dashan: 你明天几点有课？
Nǐ míngtiān jǐdiǎn yǒu kè?
Lin Jun: 我明天早上八点上英国文学课，十一点上中文课。
Wǒ míngtiān zǎoshàng bādiǎn shàng yīngguó wénxué kè, shí yī diǎn shàng
zhōngwén kè.
Li Dashan: 你几点下课？
Nǐ jǐdiǎn xiàkè?
Lin Jun: 中午十二点半下课。
Zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn bàn xiàkè.
Li Dashan: 今天是几月几日？
Jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì?
Lin Jun: 今天是四月十一号。明天是我的生日。
Jīntiān shì sì yuè shíyī hào. Míngtiān shì wǒde shēngrì.
Li Dashan: 是吗？明天下课以后我请你吃午饭，怎么样？
Shì ma? Míngtiān xiàkè yǐhòu wǒ qǐng nǐ chī wǔfàn, zěnme yàng?

2. Lin Jun: 太好了，谢谢你。
Tài hǎo le, xièxie nǐ.
Li Dashan: 你想吃中国菜还是日本菜？
Nǐ xiǎng chī zhōngguó cài háishì rìběn cài?
Lin Jun: 我想吃日本菜。
Wǒ xiǎng chī rìběn cài.
Li Dashan: 好，明天十二点半见。
Hǎo, míngtiān shí èr diǎn bàn jiàn.
Lin Jun: 下课以后见。
xiàkè yǐhòu jiàn.
English Translation of the Dialogue
Li Dashan: Lin Jun, where are you going now?
Lin Jun: I am going to class now.
Li Dashan: What time do you have class tomorrow?
Lin Jun: My English literature class is eight o’clock in the morning, and my Chinese class is
eleven o’clock.
Li Dashan: What time is your class dismissed?
Lin Jun: Class dismissed at 12:30 noon time.
Li Dashan: What day is today?
Lin Jun: Today is April 11. Tomorrow is my birthday.
Li Dashan: Is it? Let me take you to eat lunch after class tomorrow. How is it?
Lin Jun: Great, thank you.
Li Dashan: Would you like to eat Chinese food or Japanese food?
Lin Jun: I would like to eat Japanese food.
Li Dashan: Good, see you at 12:30 tomorrow.
Lin Jun: See you after class.

3. Reading Practice
今天是四月十一日。明天是四月十二日。林君明天有英国文学课和
中文课。明天是林君的生日。林君早上八点上英国文学课，十一点
上中文课。她十二点半下课。李大山想请林君吃午饭。林君想吃日
本菜，他们明天要去吃日本菜。
Jīntiān shì sì yuè shíyī rì. Míngtiān shì sìyuè shí èr rì. Lín Jūn míngtiān yǒu yīngguó wénxué kè
hé zhōngwén kè. Míngtiān shì Lín Jūn de shēngrì. Lín Jūn zaǒshàng bādiǎn shàng yīngguó
wénxué kè, shíyī diǎn shàng zhōngwén kè. Tā shíèr diǎn bàn xià kè. Lǐ dàshān xiǎng
qǐng Lín Jūn chī wǔfàn. Lín Jūn xiǎng chī rìběn cài, tāmen míngtiān yào qù chī rìběn cài.
Vocabulary
Simplified
Character
Traditional
Character
Pinyin English Meaning
1. 现在 現在 Xiànzài N. now
2. 要 要 yào V. Want
3. 几点
点
幾點
點
Jǐdiǎn
diǎn
What time?
O’clock
4. 半 半 bàn Adj. Half
5. 月 月 yuè N. Month, moon
6. 日 日 rì N. Day, sun
7. 早上 早上 zǎoshàng N. Morning
8. 中午 中午 zhōngwǔ N. Noon
9. 以后 以後 yǐhòu Adv. After
10.生日 生日 shēngrì N. Birthday
11.午饭
中饭
午飯
中飯
Wǔfàn
zhōngfàn
N.
N.
Lunch
lunch
12.请 請 qǐng V. Invite, please
13.还是 還是 háishì Conj. Or

4. Pinyin Exercise:
1. Listen and repeat the following sound.
1. sì yuè shí yuè shíyī yuè
2. zuótiān jīntiān míngtiān
3. xiànzài zàijiàn míngtiān jiàn
4. jǐ yuè jǐ rì jǐ yuè jǐhào xiànzài jǐdiǎn
5. bādiǎn bàn liǎngdiǎn bàn qīdiǎn bàn
2. Listen and repeat the following sound.
1. niān nián niǎn niàn
2. hāi hái hǎi hài
3. xiān xián xiǎn xiàn
4. yāo yáo yǎo yào
5. bān bán bǎn bàn
3. Repeat the following phrases.
1. Xiǎnzài jǐ diǎn?
2. Jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì?
3. Jīntiān shì jǐ yùe jǐ hào?
4. Wǒ xiànzài yào qù shàngkè.
5. Míngtiān shí èr diǎn bàn jiàn.
Grammar
1. Asking and telling time 几点
Ask time Tell time
What time?
几点?
jǐ diǎn?
What time is it now?
现在几点?
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time do you attend class?
你几点上课？
Nǐ jǐdiǎn shàngkè?
8:00 八点 bā diǎn
8:07 八点七分 bā diǎn qī fēn
8:15 八点一刻 bā diǎn yí kè
8:30 八点半 bā diǎn bàn
8:45 八点三刻 bā diǎn sān kè
8:58 差两分九点 chà liǎng fēn jiǔ diǎn
9:00 九点 jiǔ diǎn

5. Expressing A. M. and P. M., place the words before the time, example shown below.
Morning 早上 zǎoshàng
上午 shàngwǔ
早上八点 zǎoshàng bā diǎn
上午十一点半 shàngwǔ shíyī diǎn bàn
Noon 中午 zhōngwǔ 中午十二点四十分 zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn sìshí fēn
Afternoon 下午 xiàwǔ 下午两点半 xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn
Night 晚上 wǎnshàng 晚上九点三十五分 wǎnshàng jiǔ diǎn sānshí wǔ fēn
2. Expressing Days 日(rì), 号(hào) and Months 月(yuè)
月 means moon, and month. Both 日 and 号 can be used to refer to the days. To express the
day, say the number and followed by 日 or 号.
January
一月
yī yuè
February
二月
èr yuè
March
三月
sān yuè
April
四月
sì yuè
May
五月
wǔ yuè
June
六月
liù yuè
July
七月
qī yuè
August
八月
bā yuè
September
九月
jiǔ yuè
October
十月
shí yuè
November
十一月
shí yī yuè
December
十二月
shí èr yuè
When saying the dates and time, the word order is from larger unit to smaller unit.
8:30 A.M., tomorrow morning 明天早上八点半 míngtiān záoshàng bādiǎn bàn
9 A.M., this morning 今天早上九点 jīntiān zǎoshàng jiǔ diǎn
2 P.M., August 17. 八月十七日下午两点 bā yuè shíqī rì xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn
3. 还是 háishì
还是 (háishì) is similar to “Or” in English. 还是 (háishì) is used in a question about choice.
你喜欢狗还是猫？ Nǐ xǐhuān gǒu háishì māo?
你想去中国还是去英国？ Nǐ xiǎng qù zhōngguó háishì yīngguó?
你要吃中国菜还是吃日本菜？ Nǐ yào chī zhōngguó cài háishì chī rìběn cài?

6. 4. 请 Qing as invite
请 means please, 请问 请 also means “invite someone or treat someone.”
我请你吃饭。 Wǒ qǐng nǐ chī fàn.
他常请我吃中国菜。 Tā cháng qǐng wǒ chī zhōngguó cài.
Word Building
要
我要上课
我要吃中国菜
你要不要吃中国菜
你要不要一起去吃中国菜
几点
现在几点
你几点上课
你几点回家
你几点吃中饭
还是
你喜欢狗还是猫
你想吃中国菜还是日本菜
你想喝茶还是吃饭
你要上课还是回家