Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 9 of 12
Time and dates
日期和时间Rìqī hé shíjiān
Say the days of the week and dates in Mandarin, talk about today and tomorrow, and make an appointment by phone.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say the days of the week and the date
- Ask what day or date it is
- Talk about today, tomorrow and next week
- Make an appointment and agree on a time
Listen
On Thursday 12 March, Tang Wei phones a dental clinic in Qingdao to make an appointment. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
您好！
Nín hǎo!
Hello!
Tang Wei
您好，我想预约牙医。
Nín hǎo, wǒ xiǎng yùyuē yáyī.
Hello, I'd like to make an appointment with the dentist.
Receptionist
好的。您明天下午有空吗？
Hǎo de. Nín míngtiān xiàwǔ yǒu kòng ma?
Of course. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?
Tang Wei
明天下午我上班。后天可以吗？
Míngtiān xiàwǔ wǒ shàngbān. Hòutiān kěyǐ ma?
Tomorrow afternoon I'm at work. Is the day after tomorrow possible?
Receptionist
后天是星期六，牙医不上班。下个星期一呢？
Hòutiān shì xīngqīliù, yáyī bú shàngbān. Xià ge xīngqīyī ne?
The day after tomorrow is Saturday; the dentist doesn't work. How about next Monday?
Tang Wei
下个星期一是几号？
Xià ge xīngqīyī shì jǐ hào?
What's the date next Monday?
Receptionist
三月十六号。上午十点，可以吗？
Sānyuè shíliù hào. Shàngwǔ shí diǎn, kěyǐ ma?
The sixteenth of March. Ten in the morning, is that OK?
Tang Wei
行。
Xíng.
Fine.
Receptionist
您叫什么名字？
Nín jiào shénme míngzi?
What's your name, please?
Tang Wei
唐伟。谢谢您，再见！
Táng Wěi. Xièxie nín, zàijiàn!
Tang Wei. Thank you, goodbye!
Understand
Days of the week and dates
The days of the week are simply numbered: (xīngqī, week) + a number from 1 to 6, starting with Monday. Sunday is (xīngqītiān). Ask (jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?), what day is it today?
Months are numbered too: (yīyuè), January; (sānyuè), March; (shí'èryuè), December. In dates, stays yī. Dates go from big to small: year, month, day. In speech, the day is (hào); in writing you'll see (rì). The year is read digit by digit: (èr líng èr liù nián sānyuè shísì hào), usually written 2026年3月14号. Ask (jīntiān jǐ hào?), what's the date today?
| Day | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Monday | (xīngqīyī) |
| Tuesday | (xīngqī'èr) |
| Wednesday | (xīngqīsān) |
| Thursday | (xīngqīsì) |
| Friday | (xīngqīwǔ) |
| Saturday | (xīngqīliù) |
| Sunday | (xīngqītiān) |
Today, tomorrow, next week: the verb doesn't change
(jīntiān) is today, (míngtiān) tomorrow and (hòutiān) the day after tomorrow; (zuótiān) is yesterday. (xià ge xīngqī) is next week, and (zhège xīngqī) this week.
The verb never changes for the future: the time word does the work. It goes before the verb, either at the very start or after the person: (míngtiān xiàwǔ wǒ shàngbān) and (wǒ míngtiān xiàwǔ shàngbān) both mean “I'm working tomorrow afternoon”. As always, the bigger unit comes first: day, then part of the day, then the clock time.
- 今天星期四。Jīntiān xīngqīsì.Today is Thursday.
- 明天是三月十三号。Míngtiān shì sānyuè shísān hào.Tomorrow is the thirteenth of March.
- 我下个星期一上午有空。Wǒ xià ge xīngqīyī shàngwǔ yǒu kòng.I'm free next Monday morning.
Making an appointment
To ask if someone is free, use (yǒu kòng), literally “have free time”: (nín míngtiān yǒu kòng ma?). To suggest a time, name it and add (kěyǐ ma?), is that OK?: (shàngwǔ shí diǎn, kěyǐ ma?).
(xíng) means “OK, fine, that works”, and (bù xíng) “that doesn't work”. You can also ask (…xíng ma?) instead of . With a clinic, an office or anyone older, use (nín).
More in the grammar: Time and dates
New words
- 预约yùyuēto make an appointment, to book
- 牙医yáyīdentist
- 明天míngtiāntomorrow
- 下午xiàwǔafternoon
- 有空yǒu kòngto be free, to have time · (nǐ yǒu kòng ma?), Are you free?
- 后天hòutiānthe day after tomorrow
- 星期xīngqīweek · (xīngqīyī), Monday; (xīngqī jǐ?), what day?
- 下个星期xià ge xīngqīnext week · (xià ge xīngqīyī), next Monday.
- 号hàoday of the month (in speech) · Written (rì). (jǐ hào?), what date?
- 月yuèmonth · (sānyuè), March.
- 上午shàngwǔmorning (before noon)
- 可以吗？Kěyǐ ma?Is that OK?
- 行xíngOK, fine · (bù xíng), that doesn't work.
- 今天jīntiāntoday · (jīntiān jǐ hào?), What's the date today?
Practise
1.How do you say “the fourteenth of March”?
2.Put the words in order to ask what day it is today.
Tap the words below in the right order.What day is it today?
3.Match the days of the week.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Ask a friend: “Are you free tomorrow afternoon?”
5.Put the words in order, starting with (wǒ): I'm free next Monday morning.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm free next Monday morning.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
今天几号？
Jīntiān jǐ hào?
What's the date today?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.