Level 1 Lesson 18.1 – When Does the Movie Start?

Grammar 1: Ask When in Chinese · HSK 1

The most common way to ask *when* in Chinese is to use the question phrase 什么时候 shénme shíhou. 什么 means *what*. 时候 refers to (1) a point in time or (2) a period of time. Together, 什么时候 means when.

To ask when in Chinese, we use this structure:

Subject + 什么时候 + Predicate (+ Object)

For example:

• nǐmen shénme shíhou huí Zhōngguó
  你们什么时候回中国？
  When are you going back to China?
• wǒmen shénme shíhou zǒu
  我们什么时候走？
  When do we leave?

Grammar 2: Ask When in Chinese More Specifically · HSK 1

Sometimes we want to ask *when* more specifically, such as the time of day, the day of the week, or the date. Below are common time question phrases in Chinese:

• jǐdiǎn 几点 what time
• xīngqījǐ 星期几 what day of the week
• jǐhào / jǐrì 几号 / 几日 what day of the month
• jǐyuè 几月 which month
• nǎnián 哪年 which year

The sentence structure is the same:

Subject + Time Question Phrase + Predicate (+ Object)

For example:

• diànyǐng jǐdiǎn kāishǐ
  电影几点开始？
  What time does the movie start?
• wǒmen xīngqījǐ bú shàng Hànyǔkè
  我们星期几不上汉语课？
  Which day of the week do we not have Chinese class?
• tā jǐhào huí Měiguó
  他几号回美国？
  What day of the month does he return to the US?
• nǐ jǐyuè kāishǐ xué Hànyǔ
  你几月开始学汉语？
  Which month do you start learning Chinese?
• wǒmen nǎnián qù Shànghǎi lǚyóu
  我们哪年去上海旅游？
  Which year do we go to Shanghai to travel?

Time question phrases can also be combined:

• diànyǐng xīngqījǐ jǐdiǎn kāishǐ
  电影星期几几点开始？
  On which day and at what time does the movie start?
• nǐ jǐyuè jǐhào bú shàngbān
  你几月几号不上班？
  Which month and which day do you not work?

Grammar 3: 店 – Different Shops in Chinese · HSK 1

In Chinese, 店 diàn means *shop* or *store*, as in 商店. To name different types of shops, we usually use this structure:

Product Name + 店

For example:

• kāfēidiàn 咖啡店 coffee shop
• cháyèdiàn 茶叶店 tea shop
• shūdiàn 书店 bookstore

Note that not all shops follow this pattern.

Grammar 4: 走 – To Walk or to Leave in Chinese · HSK 1

走 zǒu can mean *to walk* or *to leave*, depending on the context. For example:

• wǒ bù xiǎng zǒu
  我不想走。
  I do not want to walk. / I do not want to leave.