Classes on 12/2/17

Please note that we are returning to the Kapolei Kingdom Hall this week

9:00 AM

Basic Chinese - Viewpoint Questions 1

Instructor: Jim Huang

We are going to discuss how to use viewpoint questions in Chinese.

9:30 AM Break

9:40 AM
JW Language - Personal Pronouns
Instructor: Larry Wong , Ann Chiang

We are going to cover Personal Pronouns under Grammar.

10:10 AM Break

10:20 AM
Basic Chinese - Viewpoint Questions 2
Instructor: Jim Huang

We are going to continue building on our viewpoint questions in Chinese.

10:50 AM Break

11:00 AM
JW Language - Actions
Instructor: Larry Wong, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover Actions under Grammar.

Chinese Class Review 11/25/17

Basic Chinese - Yes/No Questions 1 & 2

We learned more about Yes/No questions and the very important variant 有/没有. Please see the videos below for detailed explanation.

Your homework this week is to watch the videos above.

JW Language - Singular & Plural

Basically there really is no difference between singular & plural when it comes to inanimate objects such as books, phones, houses, etc. For instance one book is 一本书; two books is 两本书; one cell phone is 一个手机; two cell phones is 两个手机. You simply don't have to worry about the "s" of the object.

However, it's a little tricky when it comes to people. For sure we add a 们 to the following pronounces: 我们(we/us), 你们(you), 他们(they/them). Sometimes we add 们 to other pronounces such as 朋友们(friends), 孩子们(children). The tricky part is that there is no set rules as to which pronounce needs to have 们 and which doesn't. So just listen more to your Chinese friends and slowly you'll get the idea. Larry's recommendation is that only use 们 with we/us, you, they/them.

JW Language - This & That

We learned how to say this and that in Chinese. This one is very easy. A common mistake to avoid is that when you want to say "do this" or "do that", please say 这样做 or 那样做. NEVER say 做这样 or 做那样.

We'd also learned the two words 把 and 被.

Many people think the the word 被 is the equivalent of the verb to be in passive voice in English. This notion is gaining acceptance. We read sentences in contemporary publications and even the Watchtower magazines. I would like to point out, however, that many fundamentalists like Larry dislike using the word 被 in this way. Two points to keep in mind: 1. Many English teachers discourage using passive voice whenever possible. The same goes with Chinese. So try to avoid using the word 被 if you can. 2. The word 被 is commonly used in connection with undesirable things such as 被杀(was murdered), 被逮捕(was arrested), 被开除(was disfellowshipped). If you have to use passive voice and it's something good, I recommend using 获得 or 受.

Your homework is to convert sentences between 把 and 被.

Classes on 11/25/17

Please note that we are meeting at D. E. Thompson this week (11/25/17) again.

9:00 AM
Basic Chinese - Yes/No Questions 1
Instructor: Jim Huang

We are going to discuss some finer points about the simple Yes/No questions, particularly with the word 嗎.

9:30 AM Break

9:40 AM
JW Language - Singular and Plural
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover Singular and Plural under Grammar.

10:10 AM Break

10:20 AM
Basic Chinese - Yes/No Questions 2
Instructor: Jim Huang

We are going to focus on the other kind of Yes/No questions that involve 有/没有.

10:50 AM Break

11:00 AM
JW Language - This & That
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang


We are going to cover This & That under Grammar.

Chinese Class Review 11/18/17

Basic Chinese - Sentence Structure 1 & 2

We learned simple sentence structure. Please see the video below for detailed explanation.

Watch the second video for exercises

Please note that there are other sentence structures in Chinese so don't think that you have to limit yourselves with this one sentence structure.

Homework this week: Watch both videos above. It really doesn't get easier than that, does it?

JW Language - The Christian Congregation

We learned some useful phrases and expressions about our theocratic organization.

JW Language - The Family

We learned some useful phrases and expressions about who's who in the Chinese family.

Homework this week: Tell us about your family.

Classes on 11/18/17

Please note that we are meeting at D. E. Thompson this week (11/18/17) and next week (11/25/17)

Here's the address: 91-1295 Renton Rd, Ewa Beach, HI 96706

9:00 AM
Basic Chinese - Sentence Structure 1
Instructor: Larry Wong

We are going to learn how how to properly put together a Chinese sentence.

9:30 AM Break

9:40 AM
JW Language - The Family
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover The Family under Words & Phrases.

10:10 AM Break

10:20 AM
Basic Chinese - Sentence Structure 2
Instructor: Larry Wong

We are going to learn how NOT to put together a Chinese sentence.

10:50 AM Break

11:00 AM
JW Language - The Christian Congregation
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover The Christian Congregation under Words & Phrases.

Chinese Class Review 11/11/17

Basic Chinese - Date & Time 3

We learned all about week(s) in Chinese.

Basically the word for "week" in Chinese is 星期 or 礼拜. The measure word for week is 个. So one week in Chinese is 一个星期 or 一个礼拜.

Last week in Chinese is 上个星期 or 上个礼拜

This week in Chinese is 这个星期 or 这个礼拜

Next week in Chinese is 下个星期 or 下个礼拜

Last week Monday is 上个星期一 or 上个礼拜一

This week Thursday is 这个星期四 or 这个礼拜四

Next week Friday is 下个星期五 or 下个礼拜五

I totally forgot that at the beginning of the class I gave everyone a bunch of handouts. One of them is The Ultimate Cheat Sheet of Chinese Time Words. Please refer to it for more detailed explanations.

I met a lot of Chinese learners who have trouble with 上 and 下 because they sound like each other. It is very important to get them right because their meaning is completely opposite to each other.

Basic Chinese - Date & Time 4

We learned all about year(s) in Chinese.

The word for "year" in Chinese is 年(Nián). There's no measure word for year. One year is 一年(Yīnián), two years is 两年(Liăngnián).

The year 1914 is 一九一四年(Yī Jĭu Yī Sì Nián) in Chinese. You have to say each digit individually.

B.C is 公元前(Gōngyuánqián); A.D is 公元(Gōngyuá). For instance, 888 A.D is 公元八八八年(Gōngyuán Bābābā Nián).

B.C.E is 纪元前(Jĭyuánqián); C.E is 纪元(Jĭyuán). For instance, 607 B.C.E is 纪元前六零七年(Jĭyuánqián Lìulíngqī Nián).

To ask someone "how old are you?" you can say 你几岁(Nĭjĭsuì)？or 你几岁了(Nĭjĭsuì Lė)？To answer that question, simply replace the character 几 with a number, such as 我43岁 or 我43岁了.

We use the character 几(Jĭ) or 多少(Dōushăo) to ask "how many" or "how much" in Chinese. The difference between the two is that we use 几 when we expect the answer to be just a few and we use 多少 when we expect the answer to be a lot.

Your homework this week is:

1. Tell everyone when did you get baptized. You can just say the year. Extra points if you tell us which month and day also.

2. Tell everyone your meeting times. You can just say the midweek meeting or the weekend meeting. Extra points if you tell us both.

3. How would you ask "what month is it now"?

JW Language - Offering to Return

We practiced some phrases and expressions in the lesson Offering to Return.

JW Language - Public Witnessing

We practiced some phrases and expressions in the lesson Public Witnessing.

We also did a simple sentence structure. It's Subject + Verb + Object. Please watch the video below for more detailed explanations.

Your homework this week is to modify the following sentences (you're supposed to write down your answer as well as recording the in WeChat):

1. 我看书

2. 我唱歌

3. 我说话

4. 我跳舞

5. 我写字

Classes on 11/11/17

9:00 AM
Basic Chinese - Date & Time 3 (Weeks, Months)
Instructor: Larry Wong

We are going to learn how to say last week, this week, next week and the different months in Chinese.

9:30 AM Break

9:40 AM
JW Language - Offering a Bible Study
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover Offering a Bible Study under Words & Phrases.

10:10 AM Break

10:20 AM
Basic Chinese - Date & Time 4 (Years)
Instructor: Larry Wong

We are going to learn how to say what year in Chinese.

10:50 AM Break

11:00 AM
JW Language - Public Witnessing
Instructor: Gary Ishisaka, Ann Chiang

We are going to cover Public Witnessing under Words & Phrases.

Chinese Class Review 11/4/17

Basic Chinese - Date & Time 1

We learned how to tell time in Chinese.

Hour is 小时(Xiăoshí) or 钟头(Zhōngtóu). The measure word for Hour is 个(ge). For instance, one hour is 一个小时(Yīge Xiăoshí); two hours is 两个小时(Liángge Xiăoshí).

Minute is 分钟(Fēnzhōng). You don't need a measure word for Minute. For instance, one minute is 一分钟(Yī Fēnzhōng); two minutes is 两分钟(Liăng Fēnzhōng).

O‘clock in Mandarin is 点(Dĭan). You don't need a measure word here. For instance, one o'clock is 一点(Yì Dĭan). If it's one o'clock sharp you can say (Yì Dĭan Zhōng).

1:15 is 一点十五分(Yì Dĭan Shíwŭ Fēn). 4:38 is 四点三十八分(Sì Dĭan Sānshíbà Fēn).

AM is 上午(Shàngwŭ)；PM is 下午(Xiàwŭ)；evening is 晚上(Wănshàng).

1:15 AM is 上午一点十五分(Shàngwŭ Yì Dĭan Shíwŭ Fēn). Please note that in Chinese the 上午(Shàngwŭ) comes first. With that in mind, 7 PM is 晚上七点钟(Wănshàng Qì Dĭan Zhōng).

There are two ways to say 30 minutes past or half past. For instance, 1:30 is 一点三十分(Yì Dĭan Sānshí Fēn) or 一点半(Yì Dĭan Bàn). Note that 半(Bàn) means "half" in Chinese.

Basic Chinese - Date & Time 2

We learned about the days in a week.

Day is 天(Tīan) or 日(Rì). You don't need a measure word for Day. For instance, one day is 一天(Yì Tīan) or 一日(Yì Rì) ; two days is 两天(Lĭang Tīan) or 两日(Lĭang Rì).

Sunday is 星期天(Xīngqī Tīan) or 礼拜天(Lĭbaì Tīan). You can also say 星期日(Xīngqī Rì) or 礼拜日(Lĭbaì Rì)

Monday is 星期一(Xīngqī Yì) or 礼拜一(Lĭbaì Yì).

Tuesday is 星期二(Xīngqī Èr) or 礼拜二(Lĭbaì Èr)

Wednesday is 星期三(Xīngqī Sān) or 礼拜三(Lĭbaì Sān)

Thursday is 星期四(Xīngqī Sì) or 礼拜四(Lĭbaì Sì)

Friday is 星期五(Xīngqī Wŭ) or 礼拜五(Lĭbaì Wŭ)

Saturday is 星期六(Xīngqī Lìu) or 礼拜六(Lĭbaì Lìu)

Friday 7 PM in Chinese is 星期五晚上七点钟(Xīngqī Wŭ Wănshàng Qì Dĭan Zhōng).

Your homework this week is to answer the following questions in Chinese (at least the time part):

1. What time is your weekend meetings. Please include day of week, the time and AM/PM.
2. What time do you get up in the morning? Please include AM/PM.
3. How long does it take for you to go to work/school?

4. Extra credit: How do you ask "What time is it in Mandarin?" (Hint: watch the first video)
5. Extra credit 2: How do you say half an hour in Mandarin?
6. Extra credit 3: How do you say half a day in Mandarin?

JW Language - Offering to Return

We covered some expressions and phrases that are frequently used in offering to return to continue discussing Bible topics. Some important expressions include:

1. Is there any way I can contact you?
2. Could you leave me your telephone number?
3. Can I leave you my telephone number?

JW Language - Return Visits

We covered some expressions and phrases that are very handy when we do return visits. Some examples:

1. When we last spoke...
2. We spoke about...
3. This time...
4. I wrote these three scriptures down for you. Since it is not a good time to talk, let me leave them, and when I come back, I would like to take five minutes to discuss them with you.

Your homework this week is to select a phrases from the Lesson: Return Visits, under the section To help the householder recall the previous conversation, you might say: and complete the sentence. Then pick a phrase under the section Then introduce the purpose of the visit: and complete the sentence.