S: I am teacher Bai. 我是白老师, wo shi Bai laoshi. ML, we’re being a bit formal today?

M: Yes, but it’s one way of teaching the word for ‘teacher’.

S: Which is, everybody? Did you catch it?

M: Wo shi Zhao laoshi.

S: Get it?.

M: Dui le, ‘Teacher’ is laoshi. Laoshi LAO SHI laoshi.

S: Laoshi is often used as a term of respect for someone who’s probably older than you, maybe smart, and an ok person.

M: Teacher says, 老师说，laoshi shuo, 好好学习, haohao xuexi.

S: 学 xue, 2nd tone, we know means ‘to learn’.

M: 学习 XUE XI xuexi, also means ‘to learn’. 好好学习, study well or hard. Haohao xuexi.

S: Now its time to xuexi some big numbers.

M: 我们已经学了，we’ve learnt, women yijing xue le, from 1 to 99. What is 90 in Chinese? Dui le, 九十, jiu shi.

S: And 99? Dui le, 九十九, jiu shi jiu. Hen hao. Zhao laoshi, will now count in tens from 50 to 100, and then in hundreds to 1,000. Repeat everything, loudly, try to get the tones right. Then tell us the word for ‘hundred’ and ‘thousand’.

M: Let’s go. 50, wu shi, liu shi, qi shi, ba shi, jiu shi, 一百，yi bai, er bai, or liang bai, san bai, si bai, wu bai, liu bai, qi bai, ba bai, jou bai, 一千, yi qian.

S: Got it. Say ‘one hundred’. Dui le, yi bai, yi bai.

M: Now say ‘one thousand’. Dui le, yi qian, yi qian.

S: How to say ‘one hundred thirty’. Try. … Dui le, yi bai san shi, yi bai san shi.

M: How about three hundred and forty eight? Try. …. Hen hao, 三百四十八，san bai si shi ba.

S: 再来一个, one more, zai lai yi ge. Say, one thousand. … dui le, yi qian, yi qian.

M: Now say, three thousand three hundred. …. Dui le, san qian san bai, san qian san bai.

S: Feichang hao. Break time!

M: What will we learn now? Xian zai women xue shenme? Xianzai women xue shenme?

S: Little numbers. Like decimals. It’s feichang rong yi, real easy.

M: 好主意, good idea, hao zhuyi.

S: One point five. 一点五, yi dian wu.

M: Three point six seven eight, 三点六七八, san dian liu qi ba.

S: Point 点 DIAN dian, dian.

M: 这么容易，so easy, zheme rongyi!

S: Just right for 功课，homework, gongke.

M: So, write down these numbers, and work them out in Chinese.

S: 121, 532, 1,400, and 1,588

M: And, 2.3, 4.2 and 12.59

S: Finally, remember zero? Ling, ling, so try 0.5, 0.3, and 0.76.

M: Think hard, and we’ll see if you get all these correct next time