Chinese Level 1 Part 1

Lesson 3: Dates and Time

Learning Objectives

  • Use Chinese to tell time and dates.

  • Talk about age and birthday.

  • Invite someone to dinner and arrange a dinner date.

Cultural Context

  • Date Format: Consider how dates are formatted in your culture (month/day vs. day/month).

  • Asking Age: Is it culturally acceptable to inquire about someone's age?

  • Birthday Celebrations: Common practices for celebrating birthdays.

Dialogue Highlights

  • Characters: Gao Wenzhong (高文中) and Bai Ying’ai (白英爱).

  • Gao Wenzhong's birthday: September 12 (九月十二日) is a Thursday (星期四).

  • Age Asking: "你今年多大?" (How old are you this year?) Response: "我十八岁" (I am eighteen years old).

Language Notes

  • Time Expressions: Write from largest to smallest unit in Chinese.

    • Example: 二〇〇九年八月十二日晚上七点 (2009, August 12, evening, 7 o’clock).

  • Measure Words: 天 (tiān, day) doesn’t need a measure word.

Key Vocabulary

  1. 生日 (shēngrì) - birthday

  2. 星期 (xīngqī) - week

  3. 多大 (duō dà) - how old

  4. 吃饭 (chī fàn) - to eat

  5. 请客 (qǐng kè) - to invite someone

Grammar Insight

  • Days of the Week: Start on Monday. Replace 几 with numbers for answers (星期几).

  • Age Inquiry: Use 你今年几岁 for younger children.

Practice Activities

  • Invitation phrases: Set up dinner with friends using proper time and date forms.

  • Writing Exercises: Practice sentences about time and dates.

  • Dialogue Role Plays: Simulate conversations inviting friends to events.