Level 3
Numbers, Time & Money
Count to a thousand, ask the time, and ask what something costs.
Phrases
Tap play to hear it, then say it out loud.
-
一
one
Say it like yee
Base tone is 1st tone, but it shifts: 一個 is yí ge, 一點 is yì diǎn. Listen for the shift rather than forcing it.
-
二
two
Say it like uhr
Used for counting, dates and numbers on its own.
-
兩
two (before a measure word)
Say it like lyahng
Before a measure word or a noun, use 兩: 兩個人 "two people", not 二個人.
-
三
three
Say it like sahn
1st tone: keep it flat and high.
-
四
four
Say it like sih
4th tone, falling sharply. Note it sounds close to death 死 to some ears; it is just fine to say it.
-
五
five
Say it like woo
3rd tone: let it dip before it rises.
-
六
six
Say it like lyoh
4th tone. Nothing like the English "six" - start high and drop.
-
七
seven
Say it like chee
1st tone. The q is an aspirated ch, not a k.
-
八
eight
Say it like bah
1st tone and flat.
-
九
nine
Say it like jyoh
3rd tone.
-
十
ten
Say it like shir
2nd tone, rising. Eleven is 十一, twenty is 二十, and so on.
-
百
hundred
Say it like bye
三百 is three hundred. 3rd tone on 百.
-
千
thousand
Say it like chyehn
兩千 is two thousand. Remember to use 兩 before a measure word.
-
現在幾點
what time is it now?
Say it like shyen-dzeye jee dyehn
幾點 literally "how many o clock". The everyday way to ask the time.
-
現在
now
Say it like shyen-dzeye
現 is 4th tone. Drop it at the front of almost any question.
-
今天
today
Say it like jeen-tyehn
Two 1st tones. Keep it high and level.
-
明天
tomorrow
Say it like meeng-tyehn
明 is 2nd tone and rises into the 1st tone of 天.
-
昨天
yesterday
Say it like dzwoh-tyehn
昨 is 2nd tone.
-
等一下
wait a moment
Say it like dung yee-shyah
One of the most useful phrases in the language. Also used for "in a bit".
-
今天早上
this morning
Say it like jeen-tyehn dzow-shahng
早上 is morning. 上 is neutral here.
-
今天晚上
tonight
Say it like jeen-tyehn wahn-shahng
晚上 is evening. 灣 and 晚 are not the same tone - 晚 is 3rd tone.
-
一小時
one hour
Say it like yee shyow-shir
小時 is hour. 小 is 3rd tone, 時 is 2nd tone.
-
一分鐘
one minute
Say it like yee fun-jong
分鐘 is minute. 分 is 1st tone and flat.
-
多久
how long
Say it like dwoh-jyoh
Answers come in 一點 or 半小時 "half an hour".
-
多少錢
how much does it cost?
Say it like dwoh-shao chyehn
The single most useful shopping phrase. 錢 is 2nd tone.
-
貴
expensive
Say it like gway
4th tone, falling. Raise your eyebrows when you say it.
-
便宜
cheap
Say it like pyehn-yee
便 is 2nd tone, 宜 is neutral. Not to be confused with 方便 "convenient".
-
塊
dollar (colloquial unit)
Say it like kwye
The spoken measure word for money: 一百塊 "one hundred dollars".
-
台幣
Taiwan dollar
Say it like tie-bee
Useful to disambiguate prices when travelling. 幣 is 4th tone.
-
太貴了
that is too expensive
Say it like tie gway luh
太 plus an adjective plus 了 is the standard "too ...".
-
便宜一點好不好
could you make it a little cheaper?
Say it like pyehn-yee yee-dyehn how buh how
好不好 at the end turns it into a gentle appeal. Friendly, not pushy.
-
怎麼付錢
how do I pay?
Say it like dzun-muh foo chyehn
付 is 4th tone. Handy when you cannot tell if a place takes cards.
-
可以刷卡嗎
can I pay by card?
Say it like kuh-yee shwah-kah ma
刷卡 is literally "swipe a card". Works for credit and debit.