Eighth floor, room 806: 第 and numbers
HSK 2 Unit 4: Travel and transport · Lesson 3 of 5 · About 16 minutes
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can use 第 for first, second and third, say floors and room numbers, and check in at a hotel.
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Warm-up: do you remember?
Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.
Meaning
What does 站 mean?
That is 自行车 (zìxíngchē).
That is 差不多 (chàbuduō).
Show the answer
Answer: C, station, stop.
站 (zhàn) means station, stop.
Characters
Which word means “towards”?
短 (duǎn) means short (in length).
瘦 (shòu) means thin.
Show the answer
Answer: C, 往.
“towards” is 往 (wǎng).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
容易 róngyì
That would be 长 (cháng).
That would be 比 (bǐ).
Show the answer
Answer: B, easy.
You heard 容易 (róngyì): easy.
New words
第: first, second, third
第 (dì) + number makes an ordinal: 第一, first; 第二, second. Add a measure word for things: 第一次, the first time.
这是我第一次来北京。
Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái Běijīng.
This is my first time in Beijing.
第二个人是我哥哥。
Dì èr gè rén shì wǒ gēge.
The second person is my older brother.
Not:
一第次But: 第一次 Dì yī cì
第 comes before the number.
Floors and room numbers
Floors are number + 楼: 八楼, the eighth floor. Room and phone numbers are read digit by digit, and 一 is often said yāo to avoid confusion with 七.
我的房间在八楼。
Wǒ de fángjiān zài bā lóu.
My room is on the eighth floor.
八零六号房间
Bā líng liù hào fángjiān
room 806
Characters
- 楼 = 木
Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.
Checking in
David checks in at a hotel. Xiao Zhou is at the front desk.
Listen first
Play the whole conversation and answer the questions before you open the transcript.
Listening
Listen first. Which room is David in?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 806.
八零六号: 806.
Listening
When is breakfast?
Show the answer
Answer: B, 7 to 9 am.
早上七点到九点.
Show the transcript
小周
您好！您的房间在八楼，八零六号。
Hello! Your room is on the eighth floor, number 806.
大卫
电梯在哪儿？
Where's the lift?
小周
在那儿，门的右边。
Over there, to the right of the door.
大卫
早饭在几楼？
Which floor is breakfast on?
小周
在二楼，早上七点到九点。
On the second floor, from seven to nine.
大卫
谢谢！这是我第一次来北京。
Thanks! This is my first time in Beijing.
小周
欢迎您！
Welcome!
Speak: listen, record, compare
Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.
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Recording is not available in this browser. Listen, then repeat aloud and compare by ear.
您好！您的房间在八楼，八零六号。
Nín hǎo! Nín de fángjiān zài bā lóu, bā líng liù hào.
Hello! Your room is on the eighth floor, number 806.
电梯在哪儿？
Diàntī zài nǎr?
Where's the lift?
早饭在几楼？
Zǎofàn zài jǐ lóu?
Which floor is breakfast on?
Practice
Meaning
What does 第 mean?
That is 矮 (ǎi).
That is 邮件 (yóujiàn).
Show the answer
Answer: C, (prefix for ordinal numbers).
第 (dì) means (prefix for ordinal numbers).
Characters
Which word means “floor, building”?
往 (wǎng) means towards.
离 (lí) means from (distance).
Show the answer
Answer: C, 楼.
“floor, building” is 楼 (lóu).
Pinyin
How do you read 门 (door, gate)?
Show the answer
Answer: B, mén.
门 is read mén. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
房间 fángjiān
That would be 天气 (tiānqì).
That would be 自行车 (zìxíngchē).
Show the answer
Answer: C, room.
You heard 房间 (fángjiān): room.
Pinyin
Type the pinyin of 电梯 (lift, elevator). Tone marks or tone numbers are welcome.
Show the answer
Answer: diàntī
电梯 is diàntī in pinyin.
Grammar
How do you say the first time?
Show the answer
Answer: B, 第一次.
第一次: 第 + number + measure word.
Listening
Listen. Which floor is it?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
你的房间在十二楼。 Nǐ de fángjiān zài shí'èr lóu.
Show the answer
Answer: C, the twelfth floor.
十二楼: the twelfth floor.
In context
You can't find the lift. What do you ask?
Show the answer
Answer: C, 电梯在哪儿？.
电梯在哪儿？: 电梯在哪儿: where's the lift?
Fill the gap
Complete: This is my second time in Shanghai.
这是我＿＿二次来上海。
Show the answer
Answer: C, 第.
这是我第二次来上海。 第 + number.
At the hotel
Act out a hotel check-in out loud, playing both parts.
- The receptionist gives the floor and room number.
- The guest asks where the lift and breakfast are.
- The guest says whether it is their first time in the city.
Sentence frames
您的房间在＿＿楼，＿＿号。
Nín de fángjiān zài ＿＿ lóu, ＿＿ hào.
Your room is on floor ..., number ...
Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:
Review and finish
Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.
- I use 第 + number for first, second and third.
- I can say floors and read room numbers digit by digit.
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