This lesson is about the dates and days of the week.

A calendar

Lesson 11 ບົດຮຽນທີ11

ມື້ນີ້ແມ່ນວັນຫຍັງ?

今天是星期几？ Listen here:

It is easy to remember the days of the week in Chinese. Except for Sunday, the other days are named numerically. Listen here:

ມື້ວານນີ້ແມ່ນວັນສຸກ

昨天是星期五。 Listen here:

ມື້ອື່ນແມ່ນວັນທີເທົ່າໃດ?

明天是几号？ Listen here:

ດຽວນີ້ແມ່ນເດືອນສີ່

现在是四月。 Listen here:

ປີນີ້ແມ່ນປີ2020

今年是 二零二零 年。 Listen here:

ວັນເກີດຂອງເຈົ້າແມ່ນເວລາໃດ?

你的生日是什么时候？ Listen here:

Try to answer in Chinese: when is Lao New Year?

Today, we will learn how to say the time in Chinese.

Lesson 10 ບົດຮຽນທີ10

ຂໍໂທດ, ດຽວນີ້ຈັກໂມງແລ້ວ?

对不起，现在几点了？ Listen here:

ດຽວນີ້ ແມ່ນ 4 ໂມງເຊົ້າ 50 ນາທີ

现在是早上4点50分钟。 Listen here:

ຍັງອີກ 10 ນາທີ 5 ໂມງແລງ

还有10分钟到下午5点。 Listen here:

ພວກຂ້ອຍໄດ້ລໍຖ້າເກືອບສອງຊົ່ວໂມງແລ້ວ

我们已经等了近两个小时。 Listen here:

ພວກຂ້ອຍມາກ່ອນສາມຊົ່ວໂມງ

我们提前三个小时来。 Listen here:

ລົດຈະຮອດຊ້າ20ນາທີ

车会20分钟迟到。 Listen here:

Try to answer in Chinese: what time is it now?

This lesson will be about numbers, so that we can start using number in the next lessons. This is a long lesson, and you can always refer back to this in the future.

Lesson 9 ບົດຮຽນທີ9

0 – 9

0   ສູນ   零 (ling2)

1   ຫນຶ່ງ   一 (yi1)

2   ສອງ   二 (er4)

3   ສາມ   三 (san1)

4   ສີ່   四 (si4)

5   ຫ້າ   五 (wu3)

6   ຫົກ   六 (liu4)

7   ເຈັດ   七 (qi1)

8   ແປດ   八 (ba1)

9   ເກົ້າ   九 (jiu3)

10 – 19

10   ສິບ   十 (shi2)

11   ສິບເອັດ   十一 (shi2 yi1) [10 + 1]

12   ສິບສອງ   十二 (shi2 er4) [10 + 2]

13   ສິບສາມ   十三 (shi2 san1) [10 + 3]

14   ສິບສີ່   十四 (shi2 si4) [10 + 4]

15   ສິບຫ້າ   十五 (shi2 wu3) [10 + 5]

16   ສິບຫົກ   十六 (shi2 liu3) [10 + 6]

17   ສິບເຈັດ   十七 (shi2 qi1) [10 + 7]

18   ສິບແປດ   十八 (shi2 ba1) [10 + 8]

19   ສິບເກົ້າ   十九 (shi2 jiu3) [10 + 9]

20 – 99

20   ຊາວ   二十 (er4 shi2) [2 x 10]

30   ສາມສິບ   三十 (san1 shi2) [3 x 10]

40   ສີ່ສິບ   四十 (si4 shi2) [4 x 10]

50   ຫ້າສິບ   五十 (wu3 shi2) [5 x 10]

61   ຫົກສິບຫນຶ່ງ   六十一 (liu4 shi2 yi1) [6 x 10 + 1]

72   ເຈັດສິບສອງ   七十二 (qi1 shi2 er4) [7 x 10 + 2]

83   ແປດສິບສາມ   八十三 (ba1 shi2 san1) [8 x 10 + 3]

94   ເກົ້າສິບສີ່   九十四 (jiu3 shi2 si4) [9 x 10 + 4]

100 – 999

100   ​ຮ້ອຍຫນຶ່ງ   一百 (yi1 bai3)

102   ໜຶ່ງຮ້ອຍສອງ   一百零二 (yi1 bai3 ling2 er2) [100 + 02]

110   ໜຶ່ງຮ້ອຍສິບ   一百一十 (yi1 bai3 yi1 shi2) [100 + 10]

120   ໜຶ່ງຮ້ອຍຊາວ   一百二十 (yi1 bai3 er4 shi2) [100 + 2 x 10]

135   ໜຶ່ງຮ້ອຍສາມສິບຫ້າ   一百三十五 (yi1 bai3 san1 shi2 wu3) [100 + 3 x 10 + 5]

200   ສອງ​ຮ້ອຍ   两百 (liang3 bai3) [2 x 100]

300   ສາມ​ຮ້ອຍ   三百 (san1 bai3) [3 x 100]

450   ສີ່ຮ້ອຍຫ້າສິບ   四百五十 (si4 bai3 wu3 shi2) [4 x 100 + 5 x 10]

1,000 – 9,999

1,000   ​ພັນຫນຶ່ງ   一千 (yi1 qian1)

2,000   ສອງ​ພັນ   两千 (liang3 qian1) [2 x 1000]

3,000   ສາມພັນ   三千 (san1 qian1) [3 x 1000]

4,500   ສີ່ພັນຫ້າຮ້ອຍ   四千五百 (si4 qian1 wu3 bai3) [4 x 1000 + 5 x 100]

6,870   ຫົກພັນແປດຮ້ອຍເຈັດສິບ   六千八百七十 (liu4 qian1 ba1 bai3 qi1 shi2) [6 x 1000 + 8 x 100 + 7 x 10]

10,000 – 99,999

10,000   ສິບ​ພັນ   一万 (yi1 wan4)

20,000   ຊາວພັນ   两万 (liang3 wan4) [2 x 10,000]

30,000   ສາມສິບພັນ   三万 (san1 wan4) [3 x 10,000]

45,000   ສີ່ສິບຫ້າພັນ   四万五千 (si4 wan4 wu3 qian1) [4 x 10,000 + 5 x 1000]

76,900   ເຈັດສິບຫົກພັນເກົ້າຮ້ອຍ   七万六千九百 (qi1 wan4 liu4 qian1 jiu3 bai3) [7 x 10,000 + 6 x 1000 + 9 x 100]

100,000 – 999,999

100,000   ແສນໜຶ່ງ   十万 (shi2 wan4) [10 x 10,000]

200,000   ສອງແສນ   二十万 (er2 shi2 wan4) [20 x 10,000]

450,000   ສີ່ຮ້ອຍຫ້າສິບພັນ   四十五万 (si4 shi2 wu3 wan4) [45 x 10,000]

580,000   ຫ້າຮ້ອຍແປດສິບພັນ   五十八万 (wu3 shi2 ba1 wan4) [58 x 10,000]

842,000   ແປດຮ້ອຍສີ່ສິບສອງພັນ   八十四万两千 (ba1 shi2 si4 wan4 liang3 qian1) [84 x 10,000 + 2 x 1000]

1,000,000 …

1,000,000   ຫນຶ່ງ​ລ້ານ   一百万 (yi1 bai3 wan4) [100 x 10,000]

Because Chinese is a pictorial language, it’s easy to remember the Chinese words for one, two and three, by the number of horizontal lines:

• 1: 一
• 2: 二
• 3: 三

In general, counting in Chinese is quite logical. However, there are two things to note:

• In Chinese, there is a word for 10,000, which is ‘万’ (wan4).
• When the number ‘2’ is used to count a quantity of hundred, thousand, ten-thousand etc., we don’t say ‘二’ (er4), which means the number ‘2’. We use the counter word for ‘2’, which is ‘两’ (liang3).

Try to answer this question in Chinese: What is your salary?

Today’s will be a short lesson, inspired by what I’ve seen recently on the Internet.

Lesson 8 ບົດຮຽນທີ8

Recently, I saw this website of an organisation in Laos that does nature conservation (https://www.conservationlaos.com/), and I learnt from a friend how to say ‘nature conservation’ in Lao language.

ອະນຸລັກ ທຳມະຊາດ

保护大自然 Listen here:

ການອະນຸລັກ ທຳມະຊາດ

自然保护 Listen here:

‘大自然’ (da4 zi4 ran2) and ‘自然’(zi4 ran2) mean the same thing: nature. ‘大’ (da4) means big, giving the sense of the vastness of nature.

SGAG is a media/news company in Singapore that uses humour to keep people interested in and updated about current affairs. Recently, they came up with a meme to remind people about the importance of self-isolation in Singapore during the covid-19 outbreak, using a wordplay on the Chinese language.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-imDtIJvbu/

In Lao, it roughly means (sorry if it’s not the most correct!):

ກັກກັນ: ສິດ​ທິ​ມະ​ນຸດ ໝົດແລ້ວ

ບໍ່ກັກກັນ: ທຸກຄົນ ໝົດແລ້ວ

ເຈົ້າເລືອກ

隔离， 人权没了 Listen here:

不隔离，人全没了Listen here:

你选。Listen here:

In the Chinese language, it is often the case that words sound exactly the same but mean very different things. To know the meaning of the word, it will help to know the context.

Try: How would you say ‘ບໍ່ອະນຸລັກທຳມະຊາດ: ທຸກຄົນໝົດແລ້ວ’ in Chinese?

Do you want check what languages another person speaks? Then this lesson will be helpful!

Lesson 7 ບົດຮຽນທີ7

ເຈົ້າເວົ້າພາສຳຈີນບໍ່?

你会说中文吗？ Listen here:

Or: 你会说汉语吗？ Listen here:

Or: 你会说华语吗？ Listen here:

You will notice that ‘中文’ (zhong1 wen2), ‘汉语’ (han4 yu3) and ‘华语’(hua2 yu3) all mean “Chinese language”. However, there are minor differences.

‘中文’ (Zhong1 wen2) basically refers to the language of China (‘中国’(zhong1 guo2)).

‘汉语’ (han4 yu3) refers to the language of the Han people (汉人 (han4 ren2)), who are the main ethnic group in China.

‘华语’ (hua2 yu3) refers to the language of the Chinese culture. I think this could include minority ethnic groups who together make up Chinese culture, as well as the Taiwanese people and overseas Chinese people (whose forefathers left China before the People’s Republic of China was formed – my grandparents said that there was not enough food in China at that time, so their parents came to Southeast Asia to look for new opportunities: see this video for an example of the drama shows telling those migration stories.). So, for as a Singapore Chinese, I learnt ‘华语’ (hua2 yu3) or ‘华文’ (hua2 wen2) in school, not ‘中文’ (zhong1 wen2).

Primary school Chinese language textbook in Singapore (Source: http://moechinese.iflashbook.com.sg/category/100164)

Map of emigration to Southeast Asia around the 1900s. (Source: Husa, Karl & Wohlschlägl, Helmut. (2014). Global Markets – Local Consequences: The Migration of Labour in Southeast Asia Since the Mid-Nineteenth Century.)

Also, there is a difference between ‘语’ (yu3) and ‘文’(wen2). ‘语’(yu3) tends to refer the spoken language, whereas ‘文’(wen2) tends to refer to the written language. Put together, ‘’ (yu3 wen2) refers to both the spoken and written language. And maybe the reason why there is no such thing as ‘中语’(zhong1 yu3) is because the unification of languages by Emporer Qin in ancient China was only done for the written language – still quite a remarkable feat!

ຂ້ອຍເວົ້າພາສາລາວນ້ອຍໜຶ່ງ

我会说一点老挝语。Listen here:

ເຈົ້າຮູ້ພາສາອັງກິດບໍ່?

你懂英文吗？ Listen here:

ເຈົ້າເຂົ້າໃຈຂ້ອຍເວົ້າຫຍັງບໍ່?

你明白我说什么吗？Listen here:

ເຊີນເວົ້າຊ້າແດ່, ໄວໂພດຂ້ອຍຝັງບໍ່ເຂົ້າໃຈ.

请慢慢说，太快我听不明白。Listen here:

ເຊີນເວົ້າອີກຄັ້ງໜຶ່ງ.

请再说一次。Listen here:

Try to answer this question in Chinese: What languages do you know? ເຈົ້າຮູ້ພາສາຫຍັງ?

In this lesson, we will learn how to introduce ourselves. Have fun trying this with your family and friends!

Lesson 6 ບົດຮຽນທີ6

ສະບາຍດີ. ຂໍຖາມ, ເຈົ້າຊື່ຫຍັງ?

你好。请问，你叫什么名字？ Listen here:

Remember to replace ‘你’(ni3) with ‘您’(nin2), the more respectful form of “you”, when you are speaking to someone older.

ຂ້ອຍຊື່ຢີງຊານ

我的名字叫莹姗。 Listen here:

ຂໍໂທດ, ເຈົ້າແມ່ນນາງບໍພາບໍ່?

对不起，你是波姂女士吗？ Listen here:

ແມ່ນແລ້ວ, ແລະວ່າລາວແມ່ນທ້າວອູນ

是的。还有，这是邬讷先生。Listen here:

ດີໃຈຫຼາຍທີ່ໄດ້ຮູ້ຈັກພວກເຈົ້າ

很高兴认识你们。Listen here:

Try at home: introduce yourself to your family member or friend!

Useful to prevent the spread of covid-19:

• Check out this Instagram post by NatGeoAsia to see ways of greeting without shaking hands. It’s not mentioned, but the Lao way of greeting is of coursevery helpful too!
• Today, most Chinese people greet each other with a handshake. But this YouTube video shows how it has evolved in Wuhan, China.

We will learn some simple phrases about why it’s important to reduce the use of plastic, especially single-use plastics – because it’s my birthday today!

(Because I did not refer to a textbook for this, please forgive me if there are any mistakes!)

Lesson 5 ບົດຮຽນທີ5

ເປັນຫຍັງເຮົາຈໍາເປັນຕ້ອງຫຼຸດໃຊ້ພາລາສຕິກ?

我们为什么需要减少使用塑料？ Listen here:

ເພາະວ່າຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອພາລາສຕິກສາມາດສົ່ງຜົນກະທົບຕໍ່ສັດໄດ້

因为塑料垃圾会影响动物Listen here:

ເພາະວ່າການຈູດພາລາສຕິກ ສາມາດກໍ່ໃຫ້ເກີດສານທ໋ອກຊິນ ທີ່ຢູ່ໃນແວດລ້ອມເປັຍເວລາຍາວນານ; ສານທ໋ອກຊິນສາມາດເຮັດໃຫ້ເກີດມະເລັ່ງໄດ້.

因为燃烧塑料会释放毒素 Listen here:

这些毒素会长时间留在环境中 Listen here:

而且可以导致癌症 Listen here:

ເພາະວ່າພາລາສຕິກໃຊ້ເວລາດົນໃນການຍ່ອຍສະລາຍ, ຊຶ່ງມັນບໍ່ເປັນຜົນດີຕໍ່ກັບທໍາມະຊາດເລີຍ

因为塑料需要很长时间才能降解Listen here:

因此对大自然不好Listen here:

ຂີ້ເຫຍື້ອພາລາສຕິກ Plastic litter at a stream

Today’s lesson will cover some useful phrases that you can use if you meet a friend after many days of not seeing him/her, because of self-imposed social distancing or because of a lockdown.

Lesson 4 ບົດຮຽນທີ4

ສະບາຍດີ

你好！ Listen here:

Recall from previous lessons: how do you say ສະບາຍດີ in Chinese to an older person?

ບໍ່ໄດ້ພົບດົນນານແລ້ວ ຄິດຮອດເຈົ້າຫຼາຍ

好久没见面了，很想念你。Listen here:

For “好久” (hao3 jiu3), it can be broken up into its two words to understand its meaning better. “好” (hao3) means ‘good’, whereas “久” (jiu3) means ‘a long time’. So, literally the meaning of “好久” (hao3 jiu3) is ‘a good length of time’. You can also achieve the same meaning by saying “很久” (hen2 jiu3) which also means ‘very long time’ Listen here:

ຫວ່າງມໍ່ນີ້, ເຈົ້າສະບາຍດີບໍ່?

近来，你的身体好吗？  Listen here:

ດີຫຼາຍ, ຂອບໃຈ. ເຈົ້າເດ?

 很好，谢谢。你呢？Listen here:

ດີຄືກັດ, ຂອບໃຈ.

同样好，谢谢。Listen here:

ຮັບສາສູຂະພາບດີດີເນີ.

多多保重Listen here:

ພົບກັນໃໝ່

再见Listen here:

Question: In your opinion, which of the above Chinese phrases is the most useful during this period?

Feedback needed: what do you want to learn next? How can these lessons be improved?

The weather is Laos has become warmer and we are hoping for some good rain when the rainy season arrives. So, for this lesson, we will learn some words about the weather.

Lesson ບົດຮຽນທີ3

ມື້ນີ້ອາກາດດີຫຼາຍ

今天天气很好 Listen here:

ມື້ນີ້ອາກາດເອົ້າຮ້ອນ，ເບິ່ງຄືວ່າຝົນຊິຕົກ

今天天气闷热，看来会下雨 Listen here:

ເມື່ອກີ້ນີ້ຝົນຕົກ ແຕ່ວ່າດຽວນີ້ຝົນເຊົາແລ້ວ

刚才下雨， 但是现在雨停了 Listen here:

ມື້ອື່ນ ອາກາດເປັນແນວໃດ?

 明天天气怎么样？Listen here:

ບໍ່ໜາວປານໃດ ແຕ່ວ່າມີລົມ

不太冷，但是有风 Listen here:

ປີນີ້ຮ້ອນກວ່າປີກາຍ

今年比去年热Listen here:

ຢູ່ລາວ ຕະຫຼອດປີແບ່ງເປັນ 3 ລະດູຄື: ລະດູຝົນ ລະດູແລ້ງ ແລະ ລະດູໜາວ

在老挝，全年分为三个季节： 雨季，旱季和冬季Listen here:

Test your understanding: how do you say “Tomorrow the weather will be very good” in Chinese?

Today we will be learning how to say good wishes and say thanks, because the Lao New Year is about 2 weeks away. (Hopefully, the covid-19 situation will improve by then! )

Lesson

ສະບາຍດີປີໃໝ່ can be said in Chinese in 2 ways.

新年好 Listen here:

Or 新年快乐 Listen here:

ຂໍໃຫ້ທ່ານຈົ່ງໄດ້ຮັບຜົນສຳເລັດ

祝您成功 Listen here:

The second word, “您”, is a respectful way of saying in English “you”. If you recall from the last lesson, English “you” is “你” (ni3). The word gains its respectful form from the addition of the word “心” (xin1) – which means “heart” – at the bottom:

你 + 心 –> 您

ຂໍອວຍພອນໃຫ້ທ່ານຈົ່ງມີໂຊກດີ

祝您好运 Listen here:

In Laos, people normally only say “ໂຊກດີ” to each other, as the shorter form of the sentence. Likewise in English, you can only say “Good luck” instead of “Wish you [have] good luck”. However, in Chinese, it will be very strange to only say “好运” (hao3 yun4)! You should say the full sentence “祝您好运” (zhu4 nin2 hao3 yun4) (or “祝你好运” (zhu4 ni3 hao3 yun4) if you do not need to use the respectful for of the English “you”).

ຂໍອວຍພອນໃຫ້ທ່ານຈົ່ງມີສຸຂະພາບແຂງແຮງ

祝您健康 Listen here:

Or you can also say 祝您身体健康 Listen here:

ຂອບໃຈນຳທ່ານທີ່ໄດ້ຊວຍເຫລືອ

感谢您的帮助 Listen here:

Or, you can say 谢谢您的帮助 Listen here:

Now that we have learnt these, here is a question for you to test your learning: How do you say “Thank you” in Chinese to a close friend?