S: Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shìStuart. Today it’s a revision lesson.
M: 今天是复习课. Now pretend tomorrow is the weekend. 明天是周末 míng tiān shì zhōumò.
S: Duìle. 今天是星期五 jīntiān shì xīngqī wǔ. 明天是星期六míng tiān shì xīng qīliù. 星期六,星期天,是周末xīng qīliù, xīng qī tiān, shìzhōumò.
M: 明天, 后天, 你不上班míng tiān, hòutiān, nǐ bú shàngbān.
S: 对, 我不上班wǒbú shàngbān. Moreover, 而且,I’m about to get off work.我马上要下班了. érqiě, wó mǎshàng yào xiàbān le.
M: Ok, you guys at home. Say, ‘tomorrow’s the weekend. …. Duìle. 明天是周末míng tiān shìzhōumò.
S: Now say, ‘I’m about to go to work’.
M: Hén hǎo. 我马上要去上班了。wǒ mǎshàng yào qù shàngbān le.
S: Now say, ‘I’m about to get off work’.
M: Fēicháng hǎo. 我马上要下班了。wǒ mǎshàng yào xià bān le.
S: And how about, ‘now we go to class’?
M: Duìle. 现在我们要去上课 xiànzài wǒmen yào qù shàng kè.
S: And can you remember how to say, ‘I get in the car’?
M: Duìle! 我上车 wǒ shàng chē.
S: And, ‘I get out of the car’?
M: Right. 我下车 wǒ xià chē.
S: So, when we use shàng to say one thing, we often use xià to say the opposite.
M: Now, put your thinking caps on! I’ll say, ‘last week I went to Shanghai’. Here goes. 上个星期我去了上海 shàng ge xīngqī wǒ qù le Shànghǎi.
S: Now you say, ‘next week I go to Xīān’.
M: Congratulations! 恭喜 gōngxǐ. 答对了。Yes, it’s 下个星期我去西安 xià ge xīngqī wǒ qùXīān.
S: So, ‘last week’ –
M: 上个星期shàng ge xīngqī.
S: And ‘next week’.
M: 下个星期xià ge xīngqī.
S: And, ‘last month’ –
M: 上个月shàng ge yuè.
S: Now say, ‘next month I go to America’.
M: Duìle! 下个月我去美国 xià ge yuè wǒ qù měiguó.
S: And remember, ‘last year’ is 去年 qù nián, qù nián.
S: And ‘next year’ is 明年 míng nián.
S: Good. So now it’s time for you to join in our short Q & A session. Last year we all went to England, last month to the US, and we came to China last week. Yī èr sān, kāishǐ.
M: 去年你去了英国吗?qùnián nǐ qù le yīngguó ma?
S: 是的,去年我去了英国qùnián wǒ qù le yīngguó.
M: 上个月你去了美国吗? shàng ge yuè nǐ qù le Měiguó ma?
S: 是的, 上个月我去了美国shàng ge yuè wǒqù le Měiguó.
M: 你是上个星期来中国的吗?nǐ shàng ge xīngqī lái Zhōngguó de ma?
S: 是的,我是上个星期来中国的 wǒshàng ge xīngqī lái Zhōngguó de.
M: And, xiànzài wǒmen xiàkè.
S: Zàijiàn.