Standard Chinese, a modular approach, Biographic Information Module Unit 5, Comprehension Tape 1.
This unit is set in the PRC. On this tape, you'll learn to understand questions and answers about dates, including date of birth, about place of birth, and about ages.
In the last unit, you'll learn some uses of the sure-do construction.
This construction may shift the center of interest, not only to when or how something happened, but also to where something happened.
Here's the verb to be born.
生,生,生.
Listen for to be born,生 in the exchange.
Where were you born, Mrs. Anderson?
安德森夫人,你是在哪儿生的?
I was born in Texas.
我是在德州生的。
Notice that sure comes before the place raises,在哪儿 in the question, and在德州 in the answer, identifying them as the center of interest.
Here's the exchange line.
安德森夫人,你是在哪儿生的?
我是在德州生的。
Again,安德森夫人,你是在哪儿生的?
我是在德州生的。
Check your comprehension.
安德森夫人,你是在哪儿生的?
Where were you born, Mrs. Anderson?
我是在德州生的。
I was born in Texas.
The conversation continues live.
你们女孩子也是在德州生的吗?
不是,她是在加州生的。
Again,你们女孩子也是在德州生的吗?
不是,她是在加州生的。
Check your comprehension.
你们女孩子也是在德州生的吗?
在德州生的吗?
Was your daughter born in Texas too?
不是,她是在加州生的。
No, she was born in California.
You can already talk about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Now let's learn how to talk about days of the week.
Listen to the word for week.
星期,星期,星期.
Now listen to the word for Monday.
星期一,星期一,星期一.
Here's the word for Tuesday.
星期二.
What do you think Wednesday might be?
星期三?
星期三.
The days from Monday through Saturday
are all constructed the same way.
By putting the number of the day after the word for week.
星期.
Listen to the days of the week from Monday through Saturday.
星期一,星期二,星期三,星期四,星期五,星期六.
In the following exchange, Mrs. Anderson is talking to a Chinese friend in Canton.
She and her husband are stopping over on their way to Peking.
Listen, did you arrive on Thursday?
你們是星期四到的嗎?
No, we arrived on Friday.
不是,我們是星期五到的。
Here's the exchange line.
你們是星期四到的嗎?
不是,我們是星期五到的。
Again,你們是星期四到的嗎?
不是,我們是星期五到的。
Check your comprehension.
你們是星期四到的嗎?
Check your comprehension.
你們是星期四到的嗎?
Did you arrive on Thursday?
不是,我們是星期五到的。
No, we arrived on Friday.
Here's the word for Sunday.
星期天,星期天,星期天.
To ask what day of the week,
you put the bound word 幾, how many,
at the end of the word for week.
Listen to what day of the week.
星期幾,星期幾,星期幾.
Now listen as the conversation continues.
What day of the week are you leaving?
你們星期幾到,你們星期幾到,
We're leaving on Sunday.
我們星期天走,我們星期天走.
Here's the exchange line.
你們星期幾走,我們星期天走.
Again,你們星期幾走,我們星期天走.
Check your comprehension.
你們星期幾走,
What day of the week are you leaving?
我們星期天走,
We're leaving on Sunday.
Let's listen in on a live conversation between two Chinese,
reviewing what you've had so far.
你們星期幾到的,我們星期五到的,
你們什麼時候走,我們星期天走.Again,
你們星期幾到的,我們星期五到的,
你們什麼時候走,我們星期天走.
Check your comprehension.
你們星期幾到的,
When did you arrive?
我們星期五到的,
We arrived Friday.
你們什麼時候走,
When are you leaving?
我們星期天走,
We're leaving Sunday.
Now let's turn to another type of tongue expression,
Dates.
Listen to Mrs. Anderson give her year of birth.
What year were you born?
你是哪年生的?
I was born in 1939.
我是1939年生的。
Here's the expression, what year?
Really, which year?
每年,哪年,那年。
You've already had the bound word 每年 每年 in year.
Here's how you say 1939.
Literally, 1939 year.
一九三九年,一九三九年,一九三九年.
Remember that in a sequence of digits, the numbers E, 1, 7, 7, and 8, keep their basic high tones.
Here's the exchange live.
你是哪年生的?
我是1939年生的。
Again,你是哪年生的?
我是1939年生的。
Check your comprehension.
你是哪年生的?
What year were you born?
我是1939年生的。
I was born in 1939.
Here's a similar exchange, live.
你是哪年生的?
我是1952年生的。
Notice that in giving the year, the word you use for two is R.
Again,你是哪年生的?
我是1952年生的。
Check your comprehension.
你是哪年生的?
What year were you born?
我是1952年生的。
I was born in 1952.
You could probably use some practice in recognizing your dates.
Try translating the following.
Each will be given twice.
1959年。
1920年。
You'll remember that the word for zero is 零。
1934年。
1917年。
Here's the word for month.
月。
The names of the months are the numbers from 1 to 12, followed by the word 月。
Listen to the speaker say the names of the months through June.
一月。
二月。
三月。
四月。
五月。
六月。
In the word for January.
一月。
The basic high tone on the word 一, one changes to rising before the falling tone on the word 月, month.
The same tone change usually takes place on the words for July and August.
Listen.
七月。
八月。
Here's the expression 八月。
七月。
Since the months are numbered, the bound word 几, how many, is an appropriate question form here, just as it was in 星期几, what day of the week?
The 几 in 几, yeah, can of course be replaced by a number up to 12.
The conversation might continue like this.
What month were you born?
你是几月生的?
I was born in July.
我是七月生的。
Here's the exchange line.
你是几月生的?
我是七月生的。
Again.
你是几月生的?
我是七月生的。
Check your comprehension.
你是几月生的?
What month were you born?
我是七月生的。
I was born in July.
Now see if you can identify the names of some months.
Each is given twice.
二月,大月, August.
二月,二月, February.
十月,十月, October.
五月,五月.
美,九月,九月.
September.
Here's the expression, what day,
in the sense of what day of the month.
几号,几号,几号.
The day of the month is expressed by the number,
followed by the bound word 号,
which you'll remember is also used in giving addresses.
Listen to the speaker count up to the fifth of the month.
一号,二号,三号,四号,五号.
Notice that in this case,
the 几 of 几号 may be replaced by number as high as 31.
上是一号.
The conversation might continue like this.
Listen.
The day of the month you were born.
你是几号生的?
I was born on the fourth.
我是四号生的?
Here's the exchange line.
你是几号生的?
Again.
你是几号生的?
我是四号生的?
Check your comprehension.
你是几号生的?
What day of the month were you born?
我是四号生的?
I was born on the fourth.
Let's make sure that you have the units of time straight.
Identify the following question expressions.
Each will be given twice.
哪天?
What day?
几号?
What day of the month?
星期几?
What day of the week?
几月?
What month?
哪年?
What year?
Of course, you may be asked for the month and the day of the month together.
Listen as Mrs. Anderson gives the information again.
Live.
你是几月几号生的?
我是七月四号生的?
Again.
你是几月几号生的?
我是七月四号生的?
Check your comprehension.
你是几月几号生的?
What is the month and date of birth?
我是七月四号生的?
I was born on July 4th.
Here's a live conversation reviewing dates.
Listen.
你朋友是什么时候到的?
他是一月三十号到的.
他什么时候走?
他九月十五号走.
请问九月十五号是星期几?
是星期六?
Again.
你朋友是什么时候到的?
他是一月三十号到的.
他什么时候走?
他九月十五号走.
请问九月十五号是星期几?
是星期六?
See if you understood what was said.
你朋友是什么时候到的?
When did your friend arrive?
他是一月三十号到的.
He arrived on January 3rd.
他什么时候走?
When is he leaving?
他九月十五号走.
He's leaving on September 15th.
请问九月十五号是星期几?
May I ask what day of the week is September 15th?
是星期六?
It's Saturday.
Let's turn now to the subject of age.
Here's a common way of asking someone's age.
Listen.
How old are you?
你多大了?
I'm twenty-four.
我二十四了.
Here's the expression for how old.
多大.
By itself, the word 多 means how.
In the sense of how much.
And the word 大 means big.
These sentences could also be said without the final low markers.
Listen.
你多大?
我二十四了.
Notice that the word to be seems to be missing in these sentences.
In English, we would have to say,
You are how big?
I'm twenty-four.
Here's the original exchange again.
Live.
你多大了?我二十四了.
The marker 了 which ends both sentences
is new situation 了 alone
without completed action law.
After all, being a certain age is a state, not an action.
The second speaker is saying
that she has changed from the state of being twenty-three
to the state of being twenty-four.
Now listen to the exchange again.
你多大了?我二十四了.
Check your comprehension.
你多大了?
How old are you?
我二十四了.
I'm twenty-four.
When you're talking about a child ten years older or less,
you ask his or her age in a different way.
The Andersons have one daughter.
Listen as Mrs. Anderson gives her age.
How old is your girl?
你们女孩子几岁了?
She's eight years old.
她八岁了.
Here's the word for years of age.
岁.
And here's how you say how many years of age.
几岁.
You'll remember that the word 几 is used for how many
when you expect that the answer will be ten or less.
Now listen to the speaker count from one year of age to five.
一岁,两岁,三岁,四岁,五岁.
Listen for the expressions with 几岁,
use of age in the exchange lot.
你们女孩子几岁了?
她八岁了.
Again,你们女孩子几岁了?
她八岁了.
Check your comprehension.
你们女孩子几岁了?
How old is your girl?
她八岁了.
She's eight years old.
One syllable ages up to ten must be given with the downward
岁 as in 我十岁了,on ten years old.
Two and three syllable ages may be given either way,
though ages over twenty are usually given in a short form
without 岁,我二十七了,on twenty seven.
Now listen as Mrs. Anderson talks about the Martin's children.
How old are their boys?
他们男孩子都几岁了?
都几岁了?
One's nine and one's six.
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
Notice that we translate the sentence
他们男孩子都几岁了?
As how old are their boys?
Not how old are both their boys?
In English, we don't use the word all or both
and expecting different information
about each of the things being asked about.
Here's the exchange law.
他们男孩子都几岁了?
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
Again,他们男孩子都几岁了?
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
Can't you comprehension?
他们男孩子都几岁了?
How old are their boys?
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
One's nine and one's six.
As a final review, let's make sure
you can translate the exchanges of the target list.
Number one.
你多大了?
How old are you?
24了.
I'm 24.
Number two.
你们星期几走?
What day of the week are you leaving?
我们星期天走.
We're leaving on Sunday.
Number three.
你们男孩子都几岁了?
How old are your boys?
一个九岁了?
一个六岁了?
One is nine and one is six.
Number four.
你是哪年生的?
What year were you born?
我是1939年生的.
I was born in 1939.
Number five.
你是在哪生的?
Where were you born?
我是在德州生的.
I was born in Texas.
Number six.
你多大了?
How old are you?
我35了.
I'm 35.
Number seven.
你是几月几号生的?
What are your month and date of birth?
我是七月四号生的.
I was born on July 4th.
You may want to rewind and listen to this last part of the tape again.
If you are satisfied with your understanding of these sentences,
you can go on to the P1 tape.
This is the end of the tape.
End of biographic information module unit five,
panchin tape one.