Lesson Seven

When were you born

Basic expressions

So far we have learned to say 什么what, 几 or 多少 how many, 谁who, 哪儿where, and 哪个 which in Chinese and you are now able to find the information you need using these interrogative pronouns. Now we will learn to say when. When is formed by two words: 什么 what and time in Chinese. We know how to say what, so the only new word we have to learn here is time.

什么 时候       

shénme shíhou       

what   time       

When?

Can you ask the following questions in Chinese?

When are you going to Beijing?                      you what time go Beijing?

When are they going to Shanghai?                 you what time go Shanghai?

When is Daphne going to London?                 Daphne what time go London?

Can you answer the above questions in Chinese?  You might need the following words.

Word order

Chinese perception always looks from background to foreground. For instance, when Chinese people are expressing time or date, they always follow the order of year, month and date. 

2003  年nián    year       5   月yuè      month         26    号hào   date

The number before年nián year is read out as individual digitals, as if reading out a phone number. Let’s try to say the following time in Chinese. 

Year:

1870       1990       2000 (两千年liǎnɡ qiān nián two thousand year, year 2000 is also acceptable.)        2008

Month

一月                yī yuè   one month                    January  

二月                èr yuè   two month                    February

三月                sān yuè   three month                  March

四月                sì yuè    four month                    April

五月                 wǔ yuè five month                     May 

六月                 liùyuè    six month                      June

七月                  qī yuè   seven month                 July

八月                  bā yuè  eight month                   August

九月                  jiǔyuè   nine month                    September

十月                  shíyuè   ten month                     October

十一月             shíyīyuè  eleven month                November

十二月             shíèryuè  twelve month                December

Date:

     一号           yīhào    one date                        first day of the month

     二号           èrhào    two date                       second day of the month

     三号           sānhào three date                      third day of the month

      ………..

      二十八号  èrshíbā hào    twenty eight date             28^th 

      二十九号  èrshíjiǔ hào twenty nine date                 29^th 

      三十号      sānshí hào      thirty date                       30^th 

In order to understand the following dialogue clearly, we have to learn two words:

生 to give birth to and 日which means day.

 The structural particle is placed after a pronoun or noun indicating the possessive. 的 is pronounced in the neutral tone.

我的wǒde  my            他的tāde  his 哥哥的gēgede elder brother’s            妈妈的 māmade mother’s

Conversation

A group of Chinese people have been talking for some time and want to know more personal information about each other. Here is what they say:

    a. 请      问，你 是  什么   时候  出生      的？    

        qǐng    wèn, nǐ   shì  shénme shíhou chūshēng de

        please ask, you are what     time     be born  DE         

        May I ask you when you were born?

b. 我 是 1980年    5  月    1 号   出 生     的。   

    wǒ shì 1980nián wǔ yuè  yī hào chū shēng de

     I am  1980 year 5 month1 date be born   DE       

    I was born on the first of May 1980.

      a. 他呢？                                                             

          tā ne

          he NE                                                               

         How about him?

    b. 对不起，我 不 知道。 请     你    问   他。   

        duìbuqǐ,    wǒ bùzhīdào   qǐng    nǐ     wèn  tā

        Sorry        I   not know   please you ask   him      

        Sorry, I don’t know. You ask him, please.

Let’s read the above dialogue and form questions to find out other people’s dates of birth. 

Practice

1. Read the numbers and the dialogue given and pay attention to the tones. 

2. Ask the dates of other people’s birthdays.

3. Ask questions using the question word when.

Tape version

Part one: new words

Part two: expressions

  Part three: conversation