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Did you mark the right position?

4/10/2022

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The four tones of Chinese PinYin is the key and difficult point in Chinese pronunciation. Do you know where are the four tone marks? Try to mark the following words first.
1. yan (3).      2.  ge (1)      3. mei (2).     4. sheng (3)     5. jiu (4)
Did you mark the right position? (the answers please see the end of the article)
​
Now let's understand the rules of PinYin together.
Rules 1:  When a syllable contains a single vowel only, the tone-mark is placed above the vowel.
    e.g.              ā    ō   é   ī   ú   ǚ
                        ān  èn  ér  ǐn  ùn  èng  āng

Rules 2:  When a syllable contains or more vowels, the tone-mark should be placed above the main vowel (the one pronounced mone loudly and clearly ),  
    
e.g.             āi   āo  ōu   iè    üè

Rules 3: When a tone mark above the vowel "i", the dot over it sould be omitted.
    e.g.             mí    jǐng

Rules 4:  When " iu " or " ui " comes, the tone-mark should be placed above the terminal vowel,
    e.g.             liú    guī


 Answers:  yǎn(眼)  gē(歌) méi(没)  shěng(省)  jiù(旧)
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3 Common Mistakes for Chinese Language  Beginners

3/7/2022

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When you are a beginner language learner, it is hard to know where to start. A lot of beginner students have a hard time pass beyond understanding basic greetings, pinyin, and counting numbers. It is easy to feel stuck. 


We spend a lot of time at our school talking about how to break the traditional method of teaching and provide students with a quick introduction to master the language. 

Here are some common mistakes: 

1. Not practicing speaking fast enough 
    Duolingo is quite popular right now. A lot of students ask our teachers if they can use it to learn Chinese. I think it is a fantastic way to improve vocabulary with it, but honestly, its Mandarin learning is still a bit lacking compared to the latin languages they offer. One thing it is missing is the practicing conversation component. That's why our first few lessons are focused on speaking and speaking fast. To gain confidence in speaking is quite important in the beginner stage. Our tips for speaking fast? Learn with a purpose. Master words and sentences you would use in your next conversation. 

2. Not learning the cultural differences
   
Language is very highly related to culture. Let's be honest, the eastern culture is very different from the  western culture. That's why a lot of students say that learning Chinese is so much more difficult than learning French, Spanish, Italian etc... One thing comes to mind is on the difference in counting numbers. In English we count to thousand, then ten thousand. In Chinese, ten thousand is its own new unit. This changes how we do math by a lot! I always encourage students to learn as much as the culture as possible. 


3. Not learn Chinese characters

 Chinese language is built on individual characters. Each character has specific meanings. The literal meanings of each characters are important. For example, sad (难过 Nánguò) means "hard to pass (time)" Neat, isn't it? Learning and understanding the concept of the character is very important for beginner students. Even if you don't want to be able to write and recognize them first, you should still match the characters to the pinyin and understand they exist! 

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Mandarin Past Tense - Difference Between "de" and "le"

11/14/2015

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wǒ    chī    le     
我吃了  (I ate)
vs.
wǒ    chī   de 
我吃的 (I ate) 

I have been asked in my class what's the difference between past tense form "le" and "de". Thanks to many other great Chinese teachers on the internet, I now know the difference! Here‘s my two cents.


The first sentence  我吃了 (wǒ chī le)is the simple past tense form meaning the action is complete. The second sentence 我吃的(wǒ chī de)is the modifying form emphasizing another part of speech in the sentence. In this case, it means "I
ate."  The emphasis is on "I" to mean "I am the person who ate it."

If someone ask you, "Did you eat?" (你吃了吗?) you will say 我吃了(wǒ chī le).
If someone ask you, "Who ate the cake?" (谁吃的蛋糕?)you will say, 我吃的 (
wǒ chī de)

Let's look at a more complicated one:
我昨天看了 (wǒ zuótiān kàn le)( I saw yesterday) 
vs.
我昨天看的 (w
ǒ zuótiān kàn de)(I saw yesterday) 

In a more complex sentence like above, "de" ending can be used to emphasize any part of the speech other than the verb. 

Question: 
Did you see it yesterday? (你昨天看了吗?Nǐ zuótiān kànle ma)
Answer:
I saw it yesterday. (
我昨天看了。 wǒ zuótiān kàn le)

Question: 
Who saw it yesterday? (谁昨天看的?shuí zuótiān kàn de)
Answer:
​I saw it yesterday.  (我昨天看的。wǒ zuótiān kàn de)

Question:
Which day did you see it? (你哪天看的? Nǐ nǎ tiān kàn de)  
Answer:
I saw it yesterday. (我昨天看的。wǒ zuótiān kàn de)

Another example: 
我去了(wǒ qù le) I went. 

​我走路去的 (wǒ zǒu lù qù de) I went by walking.

The second emphasize on the "how," not the verb "go" itself. 
I hope this helps! Here are some exercise: 
Choose the correct answer based on question.

1. When did he do it? 
 a) 他昨天做的。Tā zuótiān zuò de  ("zuò“ means "do"
 b) 他昨天做了。
Tā zuótiān zuò le

2. How did he do it?
a) 我教他了。Wǒ jiāo tā le     ("jiāo" means "teach")
b) 我教他的。Wǒ jiāo tā de

3. Did he do it?
 a) 他昨天做的。Tā zuótiān zuò de
 b) 他昨天做了。
Tā zuótiān zuò le

4. Who did it yesterday?
a) 他昨天做的。Tā zuótiān zuò de
 b) 他昨天做了。
Tā zuótiān zuò le

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Basic Chinese Characters Flash Cards

10/31/2015

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Here is some basic Chinese in flash cards. If you can't see, please click the direct link below the cards. Access to test and games of this set of cards by going to theCram website.

Yes Chinese Basic Characters Level 1A from goldenkey

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Weather 天气不错

9/18/2013

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Describe Weather in Chinese 

Hi~ Sorry that I haven't posted for quite long time.  Here is a lesson on weather. Enjoy!
 First, let's learn these new words. 

My Chinese Level 1 Lesson 7 weather flashcards from goldenkey

Conversation 1: How is the weather like in Beijing?

      Běi jīng dōng tiān lěng bǔ lěng?
A: 北京 冬 天 冷 不冷?
Is winter in Beijing cold?


         Lěng jí le.         Yǒu shí hou xià xuě.

B: 冷极了。有 时 候 下 雪。
Super cold. It snows sometimes.


        Xià tiān rè ma? Jīng cháng xià yǔ ma?

A: 夏 天热吗?经 常 下雨吗?
Is summer hot? Does it always rain?


       Hěn rè,        qī         bā yuè cháng cháng xià dà yǔ.

B: 很热,7、8月 常 常 下大雨
Very hot, it rains frequently in July and August.



     Chūn tiān hé qiū tiān zěn me yàng?
A: 春 天 和秋天怎么样?
How’s spring and fall?


     Chūn tiān cháng guā dà fēng, ér qiě kōng qì gān zào.

B: 春 天 常 刮大风,而且空气干燥。
Spring is often windy and (the air) also very dry.


Qiū tiān liáng kuài, bù lěng yě bú rè.

秋天凉快,不冷也不热。 

The fall is nice and cool, neither cold nor hot.
Picture
冬天冷
Picture
夏天热
Picture
Picture
Picture
Conversation 2:

      Xià yǔ le, Míng tiān tiān qì zěn me yàng?
A: 下雨了, 明 天 天 气 怎 么 样?
It’s raining, how’s the weather tomorrow?

   Tiān qì yù bào shuō:míng tiān shì qíng tiān.
B: 天 气预 报说: 明天 是 晴天。
The weather forecast say tomorrow is sunny

    Míng tiān yǒu fēng ma? Lěng bù lěng?
A: 明 天 有 风 吗?冷不冷?
Will there be wind tomorrow? Is it cold?

    Yǒu fēng.  Zǎo shang yǒu diǎnr liáng
B: 有风。 早上 有 点儿凉。
there will be wind, a little bit cool in the morning.
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Change in tones for "一" and "不"

7/20/2013

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Most Chinese characters has one unique pinyin for itself. However, some characters has more than one pinyin. The character 一 and 不 change their tones depends on what follows behind them. 

The basic tone of numeral "一” is 1st tone (yī).When read alone, or in counting or in numbers, its basic tone is used. 

The tone of "一“ may vary with the tone of the syllable that comes after it: if followed by the 1st, 2nd or 3rd tone, "一” is pronounced as the 4th tone; if it is followed by a "4th" tone, it is pronounced as the 2nd tone. 


Example: 
yī ,   èr,  sān
一, 二, 三 (one, two, three) 
yì   tiān  
 一  天     (one day)
yì   nián
一    年    (one year)
yì   běn
一   本     ( one [measure word for books])
yí   gè
一  个     ( one [measure word ge])


Similar rule applies to the character "不"
bù zhī dào
不  知   道     (don't know) 
bù míng bai
不  明     白      (don't understand)
bù hǎo
不  好   (not good)
bú shì
不  是   (no)
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Expressing Dates and Birthdays in Mandarin Chinese

6/20/2013

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Conversation One

       nǐ de  shēng rì shì  shén me shí hòu? 
A: 你的生日是 什么 时候?
        When is your birthday? 

       
wǒ de  shēng rì shì wu yuè ershi rì。 
B: 我的生日 是 5月20日。
         My birthday is May 20th.

       
xià gè yuè  jiù shì  nǐ de  shēng rì le。
A: 下个月就是你的生日了。 
            Next month will be your birthday

         duì ya, xià gè yuè wǒ jiù ershiwu suì le。
B: 对呀,下个月我就25岁了。 
           Yes, next month, I will be 25 years old. 

Picture
______年_____月____日
          Year      Month  Day
Conversation Two         

          Míngtiān shì zhōu liù,     nǐ hé Tom    yǒu shíjiān ma?      Zánmen yīqǐ    qù dǎ    gāo'ěrfū ba
A: 明天是周六,你和Tom有时间吗?咱们一起去打高尔夫吧。
        Tomorrow is Saturday, do you and Tom have time? Let's go play golf. 
  
         Duìbùqǐ,         míngtiān wǒmen dōu yǒu gōngzuò.       Xià xīngqí xíng ma?
B: 对不起,明天  我们 都 有 工作。下星期行吗?
     Sorry, tomorrow we both have work. How about next week?

            Méi wèn tí
A: 没问题!
        No problem!

Days of the week

                             xīng qí yī  (zhōu yī)
 Monday               星期一 (周一)

                                                xīng qí'èr (zhōu'èr)
Tuesday              星期二 (周二)

                                                xīng qí sān (zhōu sān)
Wednesday         星期三 (周三)

                                                xīng qí sì (zhōu sì) 
Thursday             星期四 (周四)

                                  xīng qí wǔ (zhōu wǔ)
Friday                  星期五 (周五)


                                 xīng qí liù (zhōu liù)
Saturday             星期六 (周六)


                                  xīng qí rì (xīng qí tiān/ zhōu rì)
Sunday               星期日 (星期天 /  周日) 

My Chinese Level 1 Lesson 6 Days of the week flashcards from goldenkey on FlashcardDB.

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Inviting People to Dinner in Mandarin

4/13/2013

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Picture
Picture
Learn the vocabulary for this lesson from the flashcard below, and then view the lesson notes. 
 
wǒ  xiǎng qǐng nǐ  chī wǎn fàn
我 想  请你 吃晚饭


Ways of Asking for Availability 

      nǐ  yǒu shí jiān ma 
1.  你有 时间吗?
       Do you have time? 


       nǐ  yǒu kòng er ma
2.   你有 空儿 吗?
         Are you free?


       nǐ  yǒu shì ma
3.   你有事吗?
        Do you have things to do? 

Conversation 1

              chén  xiǎo jiě, jīn tiān wǎn shàng nǐ  yǒu kòng er ma?wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ  chī wǎn fàn。
Nancy : 陈小姐,   今天    晚 上   你有  空儿 吗?我  想   请 你 吃 晚饭。
                    Miss Chen, are you free tonight? I want to invite you to eat dinner. 

                             jīn tiān wǎn shàng wǒ  yǒu shì er。zhēn  duì bù qǐ。
Miss Chen: 今天   晚上    我   有 事儿。真对不起。
                             Tonight, I have something to do. I'm really sorry.

                  méi guān xì
Nancy: 没关系。
               No problem.  

Conversation 2

        nǐ  zhōu mò zuò  shén mē? wǒ men  yì qǐ qù  hē chá, hǎo ma?
A: 你周末    做什么?     我们  一起去喝茶, 好吗?
      what are you doing for weekend? Let's drink tea together, okay?

        hǎo à.    zài  nǎ er jiàn miàn?
B: 好啊。 在哪儿见面?
       Sure. Where should we meet?

My Chinese Level 1 Lesson 5 invitation to dinner flashcards from goldenkey on FlashcardDB.

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The Ball Float Up皮球浮上来了

3/22/2013

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Smart Stories for Kids in Chinese

  jǐ  gě  hái zi   zài  dà shù xià pāi pí qiú。 
几个孩子在大树下拍皮球。
A few kids are playing ball under the big tree.

  pí qiú  yī tiào,  tiào dào shù dòng lǐ。
皮球一跳,跳到 树洞 里。
The ball bounced, and fall into a tree hole.

shù dòng hěn shēn,  pí qiú  ná bù  chū lái le
树 洞  很深, 皮球拿不出来了。
The tree hole is deep, and they could not get the ball out. 

yǒu gè hái zi yòng pén dǎ lái shuǐ,bǎ shuǐ guàn dào shù dòng lǐ
有个孩子用盆打来水,把水 灌到 树洞 里。
One kid got a basin full of water, and poured the water into the tree hole. 
shuǐ guàn mǎn le, pí qiú fú shàng lái le。
水灌满了, 皮球浮上来了。
The water fulfilled the hole and the ball float up. 
New words:
Shù 
树            tree
pāi 

拍            clap
Tiào 

跳            bounce / jump
Dòng

洞           hole
Lǐ 

里           inside
shēn

深           deep
pí qiú

皮球       leather ball with air
ná

拿           take
Pén

盆           basin
guàn

灌           pour
mǎn

满            full
Fú 

浮           float
Picture
Questions to think about:

      xiǎo péng yǒu men zài zuò shén mē?
1.小朋友们在做什么?
       what are the kids doing?
         wèi shén me zhè gè qiú ná bù chū lái
2. 为什么  这个球拿不出来?
    Why couldn't the ball get out?
           zuì hòu, qiú shì zěn me ná chū lái de?
3. 最后,球是怎么拿出来的?
       Finally, how did they get the ball out? 

Chinese radical (san dian sui)

氵is a radical. It means water. It is called 三点水(sān diǎn shuǐ )Chinese characters can be formed with a radical on the left and another element word on the right. Radicals gives meaning to the character, and the element part helps you to pronounce it.



Look at the text and write down all characters that has the 氵radical and find out their pinyin and meaning.


洞    氵+ 同

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How to say this in Chinese

3/13/2013

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Lesson: 这个用汉语怎么说?

There are several ways to ask someone, "how to say this in Chinese?" Let's learn some basic ones and some other useful sentences


Examples:
Looking for translation
      "water“    yòng  hàn yǔ  zěn me shuō?
1. "Water“ 用    汉 语  怎么  说?    How to say "Water" in Chinese?


     “Water”, hàn yǔ shì  shén mē?
2. "Water”, 汉语是  什么?    What is “water" in Chinese?

      nǐ men  zěn me shuō “I love you?"
3. 你 们    怎 么 说   "I love you?"   How do you say "I love you?"


Asking for meanings
       "fàn guǎn”shì  shén me yì si
 1.  "饭馆” 是   什么    意思? What does "fan guan" mean?

     “ fàn guǎn” gēn “ fàn diàn” yī yàng ma?
2.  “饭馆”     跟   “饭店” 一样  吗? Does "fan guan" and "fan dian" mean the same?

Other useful sentences
       nǐ  shuō huà tài  kuài  le
1. 你  说话     太 快 了。 You speak too fast. 

     qǐng  zài shuō yī biàn
2. 请   再  说  一遍。 Please say it again. 

My Chinese Level 1 Lesson 4 say this in Chinese flashcards from goldenkey on FlashcardDB.

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    Joanna

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