M: dàjiā hǎo! Huānyíng dào Xiànzài Xué Hànyǔ. Wǒ shì ML 

S: Nǐmen hǎo! Wǒ shì Stuart.

M: Lesson 70. dì qī shí kè, dì qī shí kè.

S: We’ve learnt ‘the day before yesterday’, which is?

M: Duì le. 前天 qián tiān.

S: And yesterday.

M: 昨天 zuótiān.

S: And we all know míngtiān, tomorrow, míngtiān.

M: And ‘the day after tomorrow’.

S: Hòutiān, hòutiān.

M: Fēicháng hǎo!

S: And we can tell the time, but we haven’t learnt the Chinese equivalent of ‘it’s x minutes to y o’clock’, like ‘it’s 0 to 8’. Now we’ll learn this, and more.

M: Listen and repeat our conversation. It’s about going to see a movie the day after tomorrow. Try to pick out the word for ‘movie’.

S: ML, 我后天去看电影，你去不去? wǒ hòutiān qù kàn diànyǐng, nǐ qù bù qù?

M: Qù kàn diànyǐng? What time does the movie start? 电影几点开始? Diànyǐng jí diǎn kāishǐ?

S: 七点差五分 qī diǎn chà wǔ fēn.

M: qī diǎn chà wǔ fēn. Can do. 可以 kěyǐ. Wǒ qù.

S: 那很好 nà hěn hǎo.

M: I forgot! wǒ wàngle. Your treat? 你请客吗？ní qǐng kè ma?

S: Wǒ qǐng kè. You’re joking! 你开玩笑！nǐ kāiwánxiào.

M: Then I won’t go. Na wǒ bú qù!

S: Hǎo, wǒ qǐng kè, wǒ qǐng kè.

S: It’s always me who has to ‘qǐng kè’! Let’s learn the new stuff.

M: Stuart said he’s going to see a movie the day after tomorrow.

S: ML, 我后天去看电影.

M: wǒ hòutiān qù kàn diànyǐng. qù kàn, we know means ‘go see’, qù kàn. 电影 DIAN YING diànyǐng, 4th tone 3rd tone, diànyǐng. Diàn means ‘electric’, as in 电话，telephone. Yǐng means ‘shadow’. What is an ‘electric shadow’? Duìle. A ‘movie’, a ‘film’. Diànyǐng.

S: Everybody say, ‘I’m going to see a movie the day after tomorrow’.

M: Duì le! 我后天去看电影 wǒ hòutiān qù kàn diànyǐng.

S: Are you going? Nǐ qù bú qù, nǐ qù bú qù?

M: What time does it start? 几点开始 jí diǎn kāishǐ?

S: Five to seven. 七点差五分.

M: qī diǎn chà wǔ fēn. Five to seven. We know you can say, like in English, ‘6:55’, 六点五十五分liù diǎn wǔ shí wǔ fēn.

S: You can also say, 七点差五分qī diǎn chà wǔ fēn. chà CHA chà, means ‘short of’, or ‘lacking’.

M: So, literally, ‘7 o’clock lacking 5 minutes’ 5 to 7’: 七点差五分qī diǎn chà wǔ fēn.

S: So, try to say, ‘5 to 5’.

M: Duìle. 五点差五分 wǔ diǎn chà wǔ fēn.

S: Now say, ‘5 to 6’.

M: méi cuò. 六点差五分 liù diǎn chà liù fēn.

S: One more. 10 to 10.

M: Hén hǎo. 十点差十分 shí diǎn chà shí fēn.

S: Fēicháng hǎo.

M: So we’ll xiàkè. Zàijiàn.

S: See you next time.