天气和时间 — Weather & Time
Describe weather: 晴 (qíng, sunny), 雨 (yǔ, rain), 雪 (xuě, snow), 风 (fēng, wind), 热 (rè, hot), 冷 (lěng, cold). Tell the time: 几点了? (jǐ diǎn le), 三点半 (3:30), 上午 (morning), 下午 (afternoon), 晚上 (evening).
A lesson of Mandarin Chinese A1 — Beginner, in Everyday Vocabulary, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will describe the weather, tell the time, and use time expressions in Mandarin sentences.
Weather Vocabulary (天气 tiānqì)
| Chinese | Pinyin | Tones | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 晴天 | qíngtiān | 2+1 | sunny day |
| 阴天 | yīntiān | 1+1 | cloudy/overcast |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | 4+3 | to rain (literally "rain falls") |
| 下雪 | xià xuě | 4+3 | to snow |
| 刮风 | guā fēng | 1+1 | windy (literally "blow wind") |
| 打雷 | dǎ léi | 3+2 | thunder |
| 闪电 | shǎndiàn | 3+4 | lightning |
| 雾 | wù | 4th | fog |
| 热 | rè | 4th | hot |
| 冷 | lěng | 3rd | cold |
| 暖和 | nuǎnhuo | 3+neutral | warm |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | 2+neutral | cool (pleasant) |
| 天气预报 | tiānqì yùbào | 1+4+4+4 | weather forecast |
Asking about weather
今天天气怎么样？ (Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?) — What's the weather like today? 天气好吗？ (Tiānqì hǎo ma?) — Is the weather nice?
Describing weather
今天很热。 — Today is very hot. 外面下雨了。 — It's raining outside. 北京冬天很冷。 — Beijing winters are very cold. 上海的天气变化很快。 — Shanghai's weather changes quickly.