Lesson Three: Numbers and Catching UpAll important vocabulary words under each bullet point are in bold in red with a link to its translation and pronunciation in both forms of written Chinese, Toisanese, and Cantonese.
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Table of Contents:
1- Review Quiz
2- By the Numbers
3- All About Money
4- Question & Answer Session
5- Basic Greetings - Catching Up
6- Practice Session
1- Review Quiz
Key concepts from the second lesson crucial in learning this lesson and its greetings are reviewed in a quiz.
Questions
1- Which type of pronoun is most common in conversation?
a gender-specific pronouns b English pronouns c plural-general pronouns d No pronouns
2- What is the most important criteria for the proper title when addressing someone?
a Age b Familiarity c Gender d Income
3- Which two pronouns share the same character?
a You and Us b I and We c He and They d They and Thereafter
4- At least how many ways are there of saying "Thanks" are there?
a Two b Three c Six d Eight
5- Why is it important to know different ways to express gratitude?
a Variety b Proper Respect c Future Gifts d Friendship
Extra Credit - Why do you think proper titles of respect and proper usage of gratitude is such a major part of even a rural Chinese dialect?
2- By The Numbers
With a thorough overview of pronouns, the next area requiring basic understanding are of course, numbers and their many uses in discussing time and money.
 To say numbers between ten and a hundred, simply combine the separate numerals that make up the word. For example, eleven (十一) is SHĒP-YĒT or Ten-One. Twenty (二十) is NGĀ-SHĒP while Two-One (二十一) is NGĀ-SHĒP-YĒT or Two-One-One. Numbers continuing on after a hundred or a thousand follow the same pattern by combining the BŎT (百) and TŎN (千) into them. Constructing these phrases from the ten numerals (except for zero) may be tricky but will become second nature after everyday use.
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Numbers 0-10
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零/〇
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一
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二
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三
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四
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五
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六
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七
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八
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九
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十
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LĒONG/LĒONG-ŎN
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YĒT
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NGĀ
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XLCŎM
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XLĀ
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'M
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LŬK
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TĒT
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BŬT/WŬT
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GŬ
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SHĒP
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leng/leng-don
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yut
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yee
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sahm
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sai
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oom
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luk
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chut
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bot
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gow
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shup
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Hundred
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Thousand
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Ten Thousand
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百
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千
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万
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BŎK
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TŎN
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MŬN
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bok
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cheen
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mon
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You will find that pronouncing some of these numbers may be tricky, especially those with the NG and XLC consonants which do not show up in English. Try practicing any difficult numbers separately or all of them in order so you can aid memorization.
Just like English has its own system for numbers from eleven to nineteen, so does Chinese - but from twenty to twenty-nine. In some instances, a NGĒP (廿) replaces the usual NGĀ-SHĒP (二十). You will find NGĒP still on Chinese calendars and in some conversations with family. However, in most money-related conversations such as being at a bank or a store, most prefer NGĀ-SHĒP.
You may notice a large difference in Chinese numeration at ten thousand. Whereas Western number places change every 3 places (ones, thousands, millions, and so on), Chinese scales its number places differently. Ten thousand is not 十千 but MŎN (万). This pattern continues until one hundred million which is then called YŎT (亿). It is important to keep in mind the difference between the Chinese MŎN and the English million.
Eight is often pronounced BŎT, which is similar to the Cantonese pronunciation. Some villages pronounce eight as WŎT although either pronunciation is appropriate. The ŎN which can be added to LĒONG (Zero) simply means egg and means almost the same as the slang phrase "goose-egg" does in English for zero. You may find other number-related slang and pronunciations as you converse with more Toisanese.
3- All About Money
With a grasp of numbers, one of the most important applications of that knowledge is to monetary phrases and conversations
No matter who you're talking to in Toisanese, money will eventually come up. It might be setting the bill with your family at a restaurant, asking for the price of an item at a store, or in an entirely different situation. Generally, you will have to know about ten terms to understand money and to make basic conversations. The distinction between these terms, as well as their formal and informal types, can become very confusing.
While there are only three actual phrases here, there are six different words. For example, Yuan literally means the currency of China, also called Renminbi. Since China's currency was often used in neighboring nations much like American currency is now, the term also meant foreign currency. MŪN is still the most commonly used not just in Toisanese but also in Cantonese, but the other forms are both more formal and specific. MĀ GĒM, for example, refers specifically to an American dollar while the other terms could be any one unit of currency for any country.
The distinction between cent is much more clear. One is more informal and is slang for the small size of a penny. The other term, FŪN TŎN, literally means one percent of a whole dollar as it does in English. As expected, the informal term is more common although you will find that stores and banks will use the latter. For the sake of ease, you can describe an amount in dollars then in cents placing the familiar MŪN to indicate where the decimal point would be.
4- Question & Answer Session
After the differences are explained and the basics of numbers discussed, students can ask further questions about the subject matter before the lesson continues into basic greetings.
5- Basic Greetings - Catching Up
Toisanese comprehension may be a bridge to old friends or family members for some students, so greetings in reestablishing old bonds will become useful.
Some of you may especially want to know how to talk to an old friend or family member in Toisanese that you have not seen in a while. Doing so follows the same relaxed tone you've already seen in Toisanese but with a few details to keep in mind.
HAU-GŪ MAU GŎN-AU! Long time no see!
HĪ, HAU GŪ-Ŏ! Yeah, (haven't seen you in a) long time!
NĀ KOI-SE DŌ MOIT YĔOH? What are you doing now?
NGOI KOI-SE HUI SĒNG BŬN. I'm going to class right now.
Alternate Dialog:
HAU-LOI MAU GŎN-AU NĀ! Long while no see!
HĪ, GĀ NŎN-Ŏ! Yeah, (it's been) many years!
KOI-SĒ NĀ-GŬ MŎ ŎNG BŎ GA HOW-Ŏ? How are your mother and father now?
QUOI HĪ HAU-HAU. They are very good.
This dialogue is designed to greet an old friend or a family member that you have not seen for some months or years. You will hear or may have already heard variants of these phrases in Toisanese conversations. When getting acquainted again with someone, the usual subjects of conversations are the same in any language - job and family. Family, however, will often be the most polite subject to approach first.
You should avoid handshakes or hugs unless the person you're talking to is very Westernized. If the person you're speaking to is surprised to hear you speaking Toisanese, be sure to tell them you're learning or just recently learned which is a great way to break the ice.
6- Practice Session
The class will now break up into pairs to practice and go over the dialogue that they were given in an attempt to use real Toisanese in a real conversation.
Vocabulary
Cantonese pronunciation in italics are the formal LSHK (Linguistic Society of Hong Kong) romanization of the word.
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