Learn Chinese

M: Péngyǒumen, nǐmen hǎo! Huānyíng nǐmen dào Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shì ML

S: Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shìStuart. Today it’s a revision lesson.

M: 今天是复习课. Now pretend tomorrow is the weekend. 明天是周末 míng tiān shì zhōumò.

S: Duìle. 今天是星期五 jīntiān shì xīngqī wǔ. 明天是星期六míng tiān shì xīng qīliù. 星期六，星期天，是周末xīng qīliù, xīng qī tiān, shìzhōumò.

M: 明天， 后天， 你不上班míng tiān, hòutiān, nǐ bú shàngbān.

S: 对， 我不上班wǒbú shàngbān. Moreover, 而且，I’m about to get off work.我马上要下班了. érqiě, wó mǎshàng yào xiàbān le.

M: Ok, you guys at home. Say, ‘tomorrow’s the weekend. …. Duìle. 明天是周末míng tiān shìzhōumò.

S: Now say, ‘I’m about to go to work’.

M: Hén hǎo. 我马上要去上班了。wǒ mǎshàng yào qù shàngbān le.
 
S: Now say, ‘I’m about to get off work’.

M: Fēicháng hǎo. 我马上要下班了。wǒ mǎshàng yào xià bān le.

S: And how about, ‘now we go to class’?

M: Duìle. 现在我们要去上课 xiànzài wǒmen yào qù shàng kè.

S: And can you remember how to say, ‘I get in the car’?

M: Duìle! 我上车 wǒ shàng chē.

S: And, ‘I get out of the car’?

M: Right. 我下车 wǒ xià chē.

S: So, when we use shàng to say one thing, we often use xià to say the opposite.

M: Now, put your thinking caps on! I’ll say, ‘last week I went to Shanghai’. Here goes. 上个星期我去了上海 shàng ge xīngqī wǒ qù le Shànghǎi.

S: Now you say, ‘next week I go to Xīān’.

M: Congratulations! 恭喜 gōngxǐ. 答对了。Yes, it’s 下个星期我去西安 xià ge xīngqī wǒ qùXīān.

S: So, ‘last week’ –

M: 上个星期shàng ge xīngqī.

S: And ‘next week’.

M: 下个星期xià ge xīngqī.

S: And, ‘last month’ –

M: 上个月shàng ge yuè.

S: Now say, ‘next month I go to America’.

M: Duìle! 下个月我去美国 xià ge yuè wǒ qù měiguó.

S: And remember, ‘last year’ is 去年 qù nián, qù nián.

S: And ‘next year’ is 明年 míng nián.

S: Good. So now it’s time for you to join in our short Q & A session. Last year we all went to England, last month to the US, and we came to China last week. Yī èr sān, kāishǐ.

M: 去年你去了英国吗？qùnián nǐ qù le yīngguó ma?

S: 是的，去年我去了英国qùnián wǒ qù le yīngguó.

M: 上个月你去了美国吗？ shàng ge yuè nǐ qù le Měiguó ma?

S: 是的， 上个月我去了美国shàng ge yuè wǒqù le Měiguó.

M: 你是上个星期来中国的吗？nǐ shàng ge xīngqī lái Zhōngguó de ma?

S: 是的，我是上个星期来中国的 wǒshàng ge xīngqī lái Zhōngguó de.

M: And, xiànzài wǒmen xiàkè.

S: Zàijiàn.

(Source:english.cri.cn)