Lesson Ten   

Which lesson are we on

Basic expressions

We are on Lesson Ten. Can you say “Lesson Ten” in Chinese? We have learned the number word十ten, but we will need to use the prefix in order to change the number word into an ordinal number as 第十tenth.

Let’s practise the following.

第一 dìyī  first;  第二 dìèr second; 第三 dìsān third; 第十三dìshísān thirteenth and 第八十 dìbāshí eightieth.

课kè lesson, is placed after a number such as 第十 dìshí. So Lesson Ten is 第十课 dìshíkè. Now say the following in Chinese.

The first lesson

The second year

The third day

The twelfth family

The 30^th class

When今天today is used as a time word, it should be placed before a verb.

Let’s learn more new words for today’s dialogue.

This question word is formed by two elements: 为 for and什么what.

It is followed by a clause which indicates the reason for an action.

It is a negation which is followed by有, as we learned  in Lesson Three. 没 can also be followed by verbs of action in order to indicate that an action did not take place. In the dialogue 没来 means did not come.

When不 not precedes a verb, it refers to a regular negative action or to an action which is not going to take place, as in他不吃饭 he not eat meal/rice he doesn’t eat rice, or, he is not going to eat the meal. 他没吃饭 he did not eat meal/rice he didn’t eat the meal/rice.

This particle implies a change of state and is placed at the end of a sentence. For instance, 病了to be ill,了LE implies that a person was healthy, but now he is ill. 了 LE is pronounced in the neutral tone.

好了 well LE in the dialogue means that now the person is better.

An interjection which implies that the speaker has suddenly realised something.

Conversation

Lets read out the following dialogue.

a.    今天  我们   学习  第 几       课？

       jīntiān wǒmen xuéxí  dì  jǐ         kè ？

       today we       study  DI which lesson

       Which lesson are we going to study today?

   b.    第十 课。   你   为 什么     不   知道？ 昨天        没       来    吧？

          dìshíkè.         nǐ    wèishénme bù  zhīdào?  zuótiān      méi       lái     ba?

          DI 10 lesson you why            not know     yesterday did not come BA

          Lesson 10.  How come you don’t know? Didn’t you come yesterday? 

   a.   对，   昨天       我   没      来。          

         duì，  zuótiān     wǒ méi      lái 。

        correct yesterday I   did not come            

        No.  I didn’t come yesterday.

   b.   为 什么   没    来？

        wèishénme méi  lái？

         why          not   come       

        Why didn’t you come?

a.    因为     我 病 了。

       yīnwèi   wǒ bìngle 。

because  I   ill LE       

Because I was ill.

b.   哦。现在  好  了  吗？

        ò。xiànzài hǎole ma ？

oh   now    well LE MA    

Are you better now?

   a.    好 了。                          

          hǎole

          well LE                           

          Yes. I am.

Let’s read the above dialogue again, and translate it into English. OK, let’s answer the following questions in Chinese.

为什么      A  问   B  今天  我们    学习  第  几    课？

wèishénme  A wèn B  jīntiān wǒmen xuéxí  dì   jǐ       kè

why           A  ask  B  today we        study  DI which lesson

昨天         为什么     没        来？

zuótiān      wèishénme méi       lái？

yesterday why            did not come

现在  好   了 吗？ 

xiànzài hǎole ma ？

now  well LE MA

昨天        他们 学习  第 几      课？

zuótiān    tāmen xuéxí   dì  jǐ         kè？

yesterday they   study  DI which lesson

Read the following supplementary words after me.

1.       明天  míngtiān tomorrow day            tomorrow

2.      后天  hòutiān  after day                       the day after tomorrow

3.       前天  qiántiān before day                the day before yesterday

4.      上课 shàngkè attend class               to attend class

5.       回答 huídá  return answer               to answer

Practice

1. Listen to the dialogue as many times as possible and pay attention to the tones          

and to words such as 今天 jīntiān  today, 知道zhīdào  know,为什么 wèishénme  why and 现在xiànzài  now.

  2. Make up some questions using the question word 为什么 wèishénme  why.

 Tape version

Part one: new words

Part two: expressions

Part three: conversation

Part four: supplementary words