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2.3.2: Dates (模块二- 日期)

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Module II: Dates

模块二:日期

Scenario 2.1: Li Ming asks Zhang Wenshan what the date is today.

LM:

ZhW:

文山,今天几号?

五号。

今天

jīntiān

today

hào

day of the month

Note:

号 is used after a number to indicate the day of the month. “(June) 5th” is (六月)五号.

Scenario 2.2: Li Ming asks Zhang Wenshan when his birthday is.

LM:

ZhW:

LM:

ZhW:

文山,你的生日是几月几号?

六月六号。

你是哪年出生的?

1998年。

生日

shēngrì

birthday

yuè

month

which

nián

year

出生

chūshēng

to be born

Note:

月 lit. “moon”, also means “month.” 几月 is used to ask “What month/Which month…?”

MONTHS OF THE YEAR

January

yī yuè

一月

February

èr yuè

二月

March

sān yuè

三月

April

sì yuè

四月

May

wǔ yuè

五月

June

liù yuè

六月

July

qī yuè

七月

August

bā yuè

八月

September

jiǔ yuè

九月

October

shí yuè

十月

November

shíyī yuè

十一月

December

shí'èr yuè

十二月

你的生日是几月几号 literally means “Your birthday is which month which day?” This is the most common way to inquire about somebody’s birthday.

是…的The pattern is often used to emphasize the time or the place of known past actions. When using this pattern, the people involved in the conversation are already aware of the fact that it happened in the past. 是…的 is used to clarify when or where the action took place. 是 is placed before time phrases or place phrases; sometimes 是 is omitted. 的is usually used at the end of the sentence. The pattern is:

Subject + 是 + Time Phrase + Verb + 的

我 是 1998年 出生 的。

(lit. “I was in 1998 born.”)

哪 is the question word that is used to ask “Which…?” Note that a measure word is needed after 哪.

年means “year.” 哪年is used to ask “What year/Which year…?” To read a year of the calendar you will read off one digit at a time and follow by 年. For example:

the year 1998

yī jiǔ jiǔ bā nián

the year 2000

èr líng líng líng nián

the year 2001

èr líng líng yī nián

the year 2010

èr líng yī líng nián

the year 2018

èr líng yībā nián

ORDER OF DATES The order of dates in Chinese is the opposite of that in English. The pattern is:

Year + Month + Day of the Month (from the general to the specific)

1998年 6月 6号

Scenario 2.3: Li Ming asks Zhang Wenshan what day it is today.

LM:

ZhW:

文山,今天星期几?

星期二。

星期

xīngqī

week

Note:

星期几 is the question word that is used to ask “What day is it today?”

DAYS OF THE WEEK

Monday

xīngqī yī

星期一

Tuesday

xīngqī èr

星期二

Wednesday

xīngqī sān

星期三

Thursday

xīngqī sì

星期四

Friday

xīngqī wǔ

星期五

Saturday

xīngqī liù

星期六

Sunday

xīngqī rì/

xīngqī tiān

星期日/

星期天


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