多 duō = many
少 shǎo = few

Examples:

这个饼干多少钱
Zhège bǐnggān duōshǎo qián
How much is this cookie?

她有多少钱？
Tā yǒu duōshǎo qián?
How much money does she have?

派对上有多少人
Pàiduì shàng yǒu duōshǎo rén
How many people were there in the party?

这个手表多少钱
Zhège shǒubiǎo duōshǎo qián
How much is this watch?

你们公司有多少工人
Nǐmen gōngsī yǒu duōshǎo gōngrén
How many workers does your company have?

Some characters might look the same for English speakers but the trick is how you pronounce the words. Tone is important!

这
Zhè
This
Example:
这太贵了。
Zhè tài guì le.
This is too expensive.

这儿
Zhè’er
Here
Example:
你为什么在这儿？
Nĭ wèi shénmē zaì zhèr?
Why are you here?

这些
Zhèxiē
These ones
Example:
这些菜难道不好吃吗？
Zhèxiē cài nándào bù hào chī ma?
Are not these dishes delicious?

那
Nà
That
Example:
啊!那是真的吗？
Shénme! Nà shì zhēn de ma?
What! Is that true?

那儿
Nà’er
There
Example:
你看那儿！
Nǐ kàn nà’er!
Look there!

哪
Nǎ
Which
Example:
哪个桌子?
nǎ ge zhuō zi
Which table?

哪儿
Nǎ’er
Where
Example:
你住在哪儿?
nǐ zhù zài nǎ r
Where do you live?

谁
Shéi
Who
Example:
她是谁
tā shì shéi
Who is she?

什么
Shénme
What
Example:
你的名字是什么?
nǐ de míng zi shì shén me?
What is your name?

多少
Duōshǎo
How much
Example:
这个衣服多少钱
zhè ge yī fu duō shao qián
How much is this dress?

几
Jǐ
How many (less than 10)
Example:
现在几点了
xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le
What time is it?

怎么
Zěnme
How
Example:
这本书怎么样
zhè běn shū zěn me yàng
How is this book?

怎么样
Zěnme yàng
How is it (indicating nature/condition)
Example:
那儿怎么样
nà r zěn me yàng
What is it like there?

再见！

Resources:

http://www.purpleculture.net

It’s been a month of overwhelming Chinese learning. To take the HSK1 test, you have to know 150 Chinese words. I can now recognize 60% of those words. However, I’m still a total beginner and ‘tone’ deaf. 哈哈哈

Writing the lessons in a notebook allows me to review all the materials instead of having it saved on a word file. I’m kind of old school. This method works for me.

Here are my notes. I have a notebook for each learning source. They are ZerotoHero, Yoyo Chinese, Duolingo app, HelloChinese app and one for my Online Tutor. You may ask how I manage my time. I spend 30 minutes for each. That’s a total of 2 hours a day. My online tutor is 3x a week where we practice speaking and focusing on tones, listening and discussing my homework (sentences I made with new words from previous lesson.)

Here is a diy flashcard I created. I write down a new word and practice reading it everyday so I don’t forget.

Here’s another notebook where I log all the new words. If I don’t want to use my diy flash cards, I use this by just folding and covering the words. It’s a trick I learned from LissLearns (Youtube)

I bought a Tián zì gé notebook from Amazon. Here I practice writing the characters. HSK 1 does not include writing yet but I decided to start now rather than later. I follow the strokes from this website: https://dictionary.hantrainerpro.com

I also make it a habit to listen to Chinese music and watch Chinese dramas to immerse myself and get used to the tones and environment.

So, there you have it. My one month update. I’m looking forward to the day I will take my HSK1 exam.

 

再见！Zàijiàn

What is HSK?

Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK; Chinese: 汉语水平考试; pinyin: Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì), translated as the Chinese Proficiency Test, is the standardized test of Standard Chinese (a type of Mandarin Chinese) language proficiency of China for non-native speakers such as foreign students and overseas Chinese. The test is administered by the Hanban, an agency of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

Resources:
ZerotoHero
YoyoChinese
Duolingo App
HelloChinese App

Chinese Dramas:
Netflix and Youtube
Asian Drama Group Facebook
Rakuten VIKI
Youku
Iqiyi

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Words:

家 Jiā – family
有 Yǒu – to have/there is/are
口 Kǒu – measure word for counting people in a household
奴儿 Nú er – daughter
几 Jǐ – how many
岁 Suì – year old
了 Le – particle to indicate change
今年 Jīnnián – this year
多大 Duō Dà – how much age

Example:

你今年几岁了
Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì le？
How old are you this year?

我三十岁了
Wǒ èrshí suì le。
I’m 30 years old.

你儿子几岁了
Nǐ érzi jǐ suì le？
How old is your son?

她今年七岁了
Tā jīnnián qī suì le。
He is seven years old.

坤医生多大了
Kūn yīshēng duō dà le？
How old is Doctor Kun?

她今年四十岁了
Tā jīnnián sìshí suì le。
She is forty years old.

再见！

These are the new sentences/phrases I learned.

发生了什么
fā shēng le shén me
What happened?

我是认真的
wǒ shì rèn zhēn de
I’m serious!

你很帅
nǐ hěn shuài
You are handsome.

你是从哪儿来的
nǐ shì cóng nǎ’er lái de
Where are you from?

你是哪国人
nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?
What country are you from?

你过奖了
nǐ guò jiǎng le
You flatter me.

太贵了
tài guì le
Too expensive.

走吧
zǒu ba
Let’s go.

我饿了
wǒ è le
I’m hungry.

我饿死了
wǒ è sǐ le
I’m starving!

吃饱了
chī bǎo le
I am full.

再见!

 

 

大家好！

Today I learned the 3 simple sentence structures.

1. One person doing two things at the same time.
   一边 。。。 一边 。。。
   Yībiān 。。。Yībiān 。。。

Example：
我一边弹钢琴 一边唱歌。
Wǒ yībiān dàn gāngqín yībiān chànggē.
I am playing the piano and singing a song.

2. Somebody is doing something.
   正在
   Zhèngzài

Example:
我是正在看电视剧
Wǒ shì zhèngzài kàn diànshìjù
I am watching a TV drama.

3. Although…(but)…
   虽然 。。。 但是 。。。
   Suīrán … Dànshì …

Example:
我虽然喜欢滑雪但是太难。
Wǒ suīrán xǐhuān huáxuě dànshì tài nán.
Although I like skiing, it is very difficult.

再见！

 

我的家有十口人。你呢？我有五个弟弟和两个妹妹。

我妈妈的名字是Minda. 我弟弟的名字是 Mark, Neal, Oliver, Patrick 和 Jan Michael. 我妹妹的名字是 Katrina 和 Naomi. 他们在非鲁宾。他们有一只狗。他叫 Pencil.

There are 10 members in my family. What about you? I have five brothers and 2 sisters.

My mom’s name is Minda. My brother’s names are Mark, Neal, Oliver, Patrick and Jan Michael. My sister’s names are Katrina and Naomi. They live in the Philippines. They have a dog. His name is Pencil.

 

我是中文学生。他们是我的老师。Jon 和 Ken 是 ZerotoHero 的老师。Irene 是澳大利亚人。她是中文老师。她有一个猫。他叫 Billy.

I am a Chinese language student. They are my teachers. Jon and Ken are teachers from ZerotoHero. Irene is from Australia. She has a cat. His name is Billy.

 

I learned how to pronounced the letters on the pinyin chart. It’s tricky with some of the letters sounding the same if you’re an English speaker. A lot of tongue twisting, lip rounding and jaw dropping haha. It’s suprising how one can learn that much with consistent practice and if you really give time and effort in studying.

https://www.yoyochinese.com/chinese-learning-tools/Mandarin-Chinese-pronunciation-lesson/pinyin-chart-table

I also learned some greetings and how to introduce myself.

你好， 我 叫 Jan。Hello! My name is Jan.

我是加拿大人。I am Canadian. 我会说英文。I can speak English.

我喜欢吃中国菜。I like to eat Chinese food.

我的家有十口人。 There are 10 members in my family.

我有五个弟弟和两个妹妹。 I have 5 younger brothers and 2 younger sisters.

I can now recognize below characters if I see it on the TV screen.

你好 – Hello

谢谢 – Thank you

不客气 – You are welcome

对不起 – Sorry

没关系 – It’s alright

早上好 – Good morning

晚上好 – Good evening

晚安 – Good night

再见 – Goodbye

I also learned how to count. One good thing about Chinese numbers is as long as you know 0-10, you will be able to count onwards which is cool.

I can now state the year, month, days of the week, time and price.

I’m excited what the next coming weeks will bring 🙂