Description
In this episode, we’ve learned how to ask “What time is it?”, “When are you going?”, and also time on the clock and different parts of the day.
(These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.)
SENTENCES AND VOCABULARY
TAIWANESE
ENGLISH
Thô-hn̂g ki-tiûnn
Taoyuan Airport
ki-tiûnn
airport
ki-tiûnn tsia̍t-ūn
airport MRT, or the Airport Metro Train
tsia̍t-ūn
MRT, metro
Tâi-pak tshia-tsām
Taipei Main Station
Ko-thih
High Speed Rail, HSR
Lâm-káng tsām
Nangang Station
Thô-hn̂g tsām
Taoyuan Station
Tsit-má kuí tiám?
What time is it?
Tsit-má sì tiám sì-tsa̍p-gōo (hun).
It is 4:45.
Pronunciation note: The tone change of “tiám” is optional here.
Usage note: For numbers larger than 10, the word “hun” (minute) is sometimes left off.
tsit-má
now
tiám
o’clock; dot, point
Usage note: number (colloquial reading) + “tiám”. The “colloquial” reading of numbers is generally used for counting things. You can listen to episode 14 for more about the “colloquial” and “literary” pronunciations of numbers.
tiám-tsing
hour (duration)
tsi̍t tiám-tsing
one hour
hun
minute
Usage note: “hun” can be used for both the minute of clock time and minutes in duration.
hun-tsing
minute (duration)
tshit tiám (khòng) tsi̍t hun
7:01
káu tiám tsiànn
9:00 on the dot; right at nine o’clock
peh tiám puànn
8:30; half past eight
puànn
half
(tsi̍t) tiám puànn
1:30; half past one
gōo tiám tsa̍p-gōo (hun)
5:15
tsái-khí káu tiám
9:00 in the morning
tsái-khí
morning, in the morning
Culture note: There are a number of ways to say the different parts of the day, depending on dialect, regional preferences, and how specific you want to get, e.g. “daybreak” as opposed to “morning”. Beside “tsái-khí”, the word “morning” has other variations such as “tsái-sî-á”, “e-tsá”, and “e-tsái-á”.
tiong-tàu tsa̍p-jī tiám
12 noon
tiong-tàu
midday (usually 11-1pm)
e-tàu
afternoon; early afternoon
e-poo
afternoon; late afternoon
àm-sî
evening and night; nighttime
e-hng / e-hng-àm
evening and night; tonight
Pronunciation note: “e-hng-àm” is usually contracted as “ing-àm”.
puànn-mê / puànn-mî
the 2-hour period around midnight; late into the night
Lí tang-sî beh khì?
When are you going?
tang-sî
when
Guá e-poo beh khì.
I’m going in the afternoon.
Lí kuí tiám beh khì?
What time are you going?
Guá e-poo nn̄g tiám puànn beh khì.
I’m going at 2:30 in the afternoon.
In kuí tiám beh lâi?
When are they coming?
*Syllables that have been greyed out require tone changes.
TIME PHRASE AND WORD ORDER
In Taiwanese, the time is typically put before the verb, but still after the subject. Also notice that the preposition “at” in English is usually not needed or translated in Taiwanese.
Within a time phrase, we always go from the general to the more specific, e.g. year → month → date/day → morning/evening → clock time.
Subject
Time
Verb
Guá
e-poo nn̄g tiám puànn
beh khì.
(I)
(afternoon, 2-o’clock-half)
(am going)
If you want to emphasize the time as the topic, it’s possible to move it before the subject at the front of the sentence.
When forming a question, the question word for time like “tang-sî” (when), or “kuí tiám” (what time), is placed in the same position and the word order remains the same.
Subject
Question Word for Time
Verb
Lí
tang-sî
beh khì?
Lí
kuí tiám
beh khì?
For more about telling time and related expressions, go check out our downloadable workbook! You’ll also find additional vocabulary with characters, pronunciation notes, grammar explanations, culture tips, and fun exercises to help your practice.
Music Credit: Tekno
In this episode, we’ve talked about eating at “stir-fry places” in Taiwan, asking for recommendations, and also the price.
(These show notes use tables and rich formatting. Please visit the episode webpage for an optimal viewing experience.)
SENTENCES AND VOCABULARY
TAIWANESE
ENGLISH
Ū...
Published 02/25/20
In this episode, we’ve talked about personal pronouns like “you” and “I”, the “exclusive we” and “inclusive we”, and also how to express possession in Taiwanese.
Please visit the episode webpage for a detailed outline of the episode!
Published 02/18/20