How to read this page: Line 1 = Chinese characters. Line 2 = pinyin (lined up character-by-character above each word). Line 3 = English meaning of the whole sentence, with the matching key word marked in (parentheses). Words in a pink box are this lesson's key vocabulary. Tap the 🔊 button to hear it read aloud — in the dialogue, speaker A and speaker B are read in two different voices.
📖 Text
Read the story once for the general idea, then go through it again line by line.
A ：qǐng请wèn问 ，jīn今tiān天jǐ几hào号 ？
A: (Excuse me), what's the date (today)?
B ：jīn今tiān天jiǔ九yuè月yī一hào号 。
B: It's September (1st).
A ：jīn今tiān天xīng星qī期jǐ几 ？
A: What (day) is it today?
B ：xīng星qī期sān三 。
B: It's Wednesday.
A ：zuó昨tiān天shì是jǐ几yuè月jǐ几hào号 ？
A: What was the date (yesterday)?
B ：zuó昨tiān天shì是bā八yuè月sān三shí十yī一hào号 ，xīng星qī期èr二 。
B: It was Tuesday, August 31st.
A ：míng明tiān天ne呢 ？
A: What about (tomorrow)?
B ：míng明tiān天shì是jiǔ九yuè月èr二hào号 ，xīng星qī期sì四 。
B: It's Thursday, September 2nd.
A ：míng明tiān天xīng星qī期liù六 ，nǐ你qù去xué学xiào校ma吗 ？
A: Tomorrow is Saturday — will you (go) to (school)?
B ：wǒ我qù去xué学xiào校 。
B: Yes, I will.
A ：nǐ你qù去xué学xiào校zuò做shén什me么 ？
A: What are you going to do there?
B ：wǒ我qù去xué学xiào校kàn看shū书 。
B: I'm going to (read) (books).
📋 Key Vocabulary
Each word shows the part of speech, meaning, and an extra example sentence.
请verb
(polite) please
请问，今天几号？
Excuse me, what's the date today?
Excuse me, what's the date today?
问verb
to ask, to inquire
我想问一个问题。
I'd like to ask a question.
I'd like to ask a question.
今天noun
today
今天九月一号。
Today is September 1st.
Today is September 1st.
号noun
(for date of month) day, number
今天几号？
What's the date today?
What's the date today?
月noun
month
今天九月一号。
Today is September 1st.
Today is September 1st.
星期noun
week
今天星期三。
Today is Wednesday.
Today is Wednesday.
昨天noun
yesterday
昨天是八月三十一号。
Yesterday was August 31st.
Yesterday was August 31st.
明天noun
tomorrow
明天星期六。
Tomorrow is Saturday.
Tomorrow is Saturday.
去verb
to go
我去学校。
I'm going to school.
I'm going to school.
学校noun
school
他在学校工作。
He works at a school.
He works at a school.
看verb
to look at, to watch, to read
我去学校看书。
I'm going to school to read.
I'm going to school to read.
书noun
book
这是我的书。
This is my book.
This is my book.
🧩 Grammar Focus
Structures from this story worth practicing.
① Saying a date — month, day, weekday
日期的表达 (1)：月、日（号）、星期
Month + 月 → Date + 号 → 星期 + day
Chinese dates go from the biggest unit to the smallest: month first, then date, then weekday. In spoken Chinese, 号 is almost always used instead of the more formal 日.
今天9月1号，星期三。
Jīntiān jiǔ yuè yī hào, xīngqī sān.
Today is September 1st, Wednesday.
② Sentences with a nominal predicate
名词谓语句
Subject + Noun (no 是 needed)
When stating an age, time, or date, the predicate can simply be a noun or noun phrase — no need for the verb 是 at all.
明天星期三。
Míngtiān xīngqī sān.
Tomorrow is Wednesday.
③ Serial verb construction (1): 去 + place + do something
连动句 (1)：去+地方+做什么
Subject + 去 + (place) + Verb
When the predicate has two verbs in a row, the second one usually shows the purpose of the first. The place after 去 can sometimes be dropped if it's already clear from context.
我去学校看书。
Wǒ qù xuéxiào kàn shū.
I'm going to school to read.
⭐ Key Sentences
Practice saying these sentences out loud. Try covering the English and translating from Chinese yourself.
今天九月一号，星期三。
Jīntiān jiǔ yuè yī hào, xīngqī sān.
Today is September 1st, Wednesday.
明天是九月二号，星期四。
Míngtiān shì jiǔ yuè èr hào, xīngqī sì.
Tomorrow is September 2nd, Thursday.
我去学校看书。
Wǒ qù xuéxiào kàn shū.
I'm going to school to read.
✅ Quick Check
Answer in your head, then check with your teacher.
1. What is today's date in dialogue 1?
2. What day of the week is tomorrow (dialogue 2)?
3. Why is B going to school on Saturday?
4. Which character is normally used for dates in spoken Chinese?
今天几号？星期几？Practice the date out loud right now! 📅
