Lesson 5 · Dates, Weekend Cooking, and New Gadgets
日期、做饭与新电脑

Dates, Weekend Cooking, and New Gadgets

3 dialogues22 new words
Start

Asking About Dates

Lin and Bo talk about today's date and rest plans.

7 new words

Listen to the conversation 
Tap a marked word for its meaning. Tap a line to see the English.

Grammar

今天五月八日,星期日。Today is May 8th, Sunday.
YYYY年MM月DD日/号星期X

Expression of Time · “1”. Expressing dates in Mandarin requires a specific hierarchical sequence moving from larger to smaller units: Year, Month, Date, and Day of the Week. This logical progression is vital for scheduling, reporting historical events, and managing daily logistics with authoritative temporal precision.

1992年5月16号
1992 nián 5 yuè 16 hào
May 16, 1992
Which word means “date”?

Cooking Skills

Lin and Bo chat about what dishes they can cook on their day off.

8 new words

Listen to the conversation 

Grammar

Subject + Nominal Predicate

Nominal-Predicate Sentences. Nominal-predicate sentences are a unique structure where a noun or nominal phrase functions directly as the predicate without a linking verb. This pattern is primarily used for indicating dates, times, prices, and ages, providing a concise yet grammatically robust way to state facts.

今天9月8号。
Jīntiān jiǔ yuè bā hào.
Today is September 8.
我休息,你会做饭吗?I am off. Can you cook?
Subject +会+ Verb

Modal Verb '会'. The modal verb '会' (huì) specifically indicates an ability or skill that has been acquired through learning or practice. It is essential for describing competencies such as speaking languages, cooking, or driving, providing an authoritative way to articulate one's pedagogical achievements.

我会做饭。
Wǒ huì zuò fàn.
I know how to cook.
Fill the gap我休息,你会____吗?I am off. Can you cook?

A New Computer

After getting off work, Lin looks at Bo's new computer.

7 new words

Listen to the conversation 
Which word means “really”?

Write the new characters

0 of 26 written
天 from 今天 · today

Practice

8 questions · about 4 minutes
Pick the meaningListenFill the gapMatchWord order

Finish

Finish the practice to complete this lesson.