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Mandarin Chinese 1 Unit 5: Time, dates and daily life

Chinese builds days, months and times from numbers, which makes them easy to learn.

Covers: Days of the week, months and dates, telling time, family members, foods and drinks

Study guide

Days of the week use 星期 (xīngqī) plus a number: 星期一 (Monday), 星期二 (Tuesday), 星期三 (Wednesday), 星期四, 星期五, 星期六 (Saturday), with Sunday as 星期天 or 星期日. 周 (zhōu) is also used, as in 周末 (weekend). Months are numbers plus 月 (yuè): 一月 (January), 五月 (May), 十二月 (December). Dates go from largest to smallest unit, year then month then day: 2026年5月3日 (May 3, 2026), using 号 (hào) or 日 (rì) for the day. 今天 (today), 明天 (tomorrow) and 昨天 (yesterday) are essential.

Telling time uses 点 (diǎn, o'clock) and 分 (fēn, minutes): 三点 (3:00), 三点十分 (3:10), 三点半 (3:30, with 半 meaning half) and 差五分四点 (five minutes to four). Ask 现在几点? (xiànzài jǐ diǎn?, what time is it now?). Morning is 上午, noon 中午, afternoon 下午 and evening 晚上, and they go before the time: 下午两点 (2 p.m.).

Family words distinguish older and younger siblings: 哥哥 (gēge, older brother), 弟弟 (dìdi, younger brother), 姐姐 (jiějie, older sister), 妹妹 (mèimei, younger sister), plus 爸爸 (dad), 妈妈 (mom), 爷爷 and 奶奶 (father's parents) and 儿子 and 女儿 (son, daughter).

Food and drink words include 米饭 (rice), 面条 (noodles), 饺子 (dumplings), 菜 (dishes, vegetables), 鸡肉 (chicken), 水 (water), 茶 (tea), 咖啡 (coffee) and 牛奶 (milk). Eat is 吃 (chī) and drink is 喝 (hē). Meals are 早饭 (breakfast), 午饭 (lunch) and 晚饭 (dinner).

Weather words include 天气 (weather), 下雨 (to rain), 下雪 (to snow), 晴 (sunny), 阴 (cloudy), 冷 (cold) and 热 (hot). Ask 今天天气怎么样? A sentence-final 了 marks a change: 下雨了 (it's started to rain). Common daily verbs and verb-object phrases include 打电话 (make a phone call), 开车 (drive), 睡觉 (sleep), 起床 (get up), 写字 (write), 听 (listen), 看书 (read), 工作 (work) and 学习 (study). Many are verb + object pairs, so other words can go between them: 打了一个电话.

Use 上 for "last," 这 for "this" and 下 for "next": 上个月 (last month), 这个星期 (this week), 下个星期一 (next Monday). 去年, 今年 and 明年 mean last year, this year and next year. 左右 (zuǒyòu) after a time or number means "about": 八点左右 (around eight o'clock). 再 + duration means "in another…": 再有十分钟 (in ten more minutes). 还 means "still": 他还在睡觉.

Common animal words are 狗 (gǒu, dog), 猫 (māo, cat) and 鱼 (yú, fish), all counted with 只 except fish, which take 条 (一条鱼).

Key ideas

• Days: 星期一 (Monday) through 星期六 (Saturday); Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日.
• Months: number + 月: 一月 (January), 十二月 (December).
• Dates go big to small: 2026年11月3日.
• Time: 三点 (3:00), 三点半 (3:30).
• Family: 爸爸 (dad), 妈妈 (mom), 哥哥 (older brother), 姐姐 (older sister).

Formulas and rules

Common mistakes

• Writing 星期七 for Sunday (it's 星期天/日).
• Ordering dates day-month-year.

Words to know

妈妈

mom (māma)

爸爸

dad (bàba)

哥哥

older brother (gēge)

姐姐

older sister (jiějie)

弟弟

younger brother (dìdi)

妹妹

younger sister (mèimei)

爷爷

grandpa (father's side) (yéye)

奶奶

grandma (father's side) (nǎinai)

老师

teacher (lǎoshī)

学生

student (xuésheng)

朋友

friend (péngyou)

人

person (rén)

家

home / family (jiā)

学校

school (xuéxiào)

中国

china (Zhōngguó)

中文

Chinese language (Zhōngwén)

书

book (shū)

猫

cat (māo)

狗

dog (gǒu)

星期

week (xīngqī)

星期一

Monday (xīngqīyī)

星期二

Tuesday (xīngqī'èr)

星期三

Wednesday (xīngqīsān)

星期四

Thursday (xīngqīsì)

星期五

Friday (xīngqīwǔ)

星期六

Saturday (xīngqīliù)

星期天

Sunday (xīngqītiān)

星期日

Sunday (written) (xīngqīrì)

周末

weekend (zhōumò)

今天

today (jīntiān)

明天

tomorrow (míngtiān)

昨天

yesterday (zuótiān)

年

year (nián)

月

month (yuè)

一月

January (yīyuè)

五月

May (wǔyuè)

十二月

December (shí'èryuè)

号

day of the month (hào)

日

day (written dates) (rì)

现在几点？

what time is it? (xiànzài jǐ diǎn?)

Sample practice questions

5 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.