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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 7

你哥哥多大 How old is your brother

Nǐ gēge duō dà

多大 to ask age, numbers 6-10, more siblings (哥/弟/姐/妹), the measure-word version of 二 (= 两).

Dialogue

你哥哥多大 — How old is your brother?

大山马mǎ小xiǎo明míng, 你nǐ多duō大dà? Ma Xiaoming, how old are you?
马小明我wǒ十shí九jiǔ岁suì. 你nǐ呢ne? I'm 19. You?
大山我wǒ二èr十shí岁suì. I'm 20.
马小明你nǐ有yǒu哥gē哥ge吗ma? Do you have an older brother?
大山有yǒu, 我wǒ有yǒu一yí个gè哥gē哥ge, 一yí个gè姐jiě姐jie. Yes, one older brother and one older sister.
马小明你nǐ哥gē哥ge多duō大dà? How old is your brother?
大山我wǒ哥gē哥ge二èr十shí六liù岁suì. 我wǒ姐jiě姐jie也yě是shì二èr十shí六liù岁suì. My brother is 26. My sister is also 26.
马小明都dōu是shì二èr十shí六liù? 是shì两liǎng个gè人rén吗ma? Both 26? Are they twins?
大山是shì的de! Yes!

Dialogue

妹妹几岁 — How old is your sister?

谢小文马mǎ小xiǎo明míng, 你nǐ妹mèi妹mei几jǐ岁suì? Ma Xiaoming, how old is your sister?
马小明我wǒ妹mèi妹mei八bā岁suì. She's 8.
谢小文她tā也yě是shì学xué生shēng吗ma? Is she a student too?
马小明是shì的de, 她tā也yě是shì学xué生shēng. Yes, she's also a student.
谢小文你nǐ弟dì弟di呢ne? What about your younger brother?
马小明我wǒ没méi有yǒu弟dì弟di. I don't have a younger brother.

Dialogue

六七八九十 — Six Seven Eight Nine Ten

高老师同tóng学xué们men, 一yì起qǐ说shuō: 六liù、七qī、八bā、九jiǔ、十shí. Class, say together: 6 7 8 9 10.
大山六liù、七qī、八bā、九jiǔ、十shí. 6 7 8 9 10.
高老师大dà山shān, 你nǐ家jiā有yǒu几jǐ口kǒu人rén? Dashan, how many in your family?
大山我wǒ家jiā有yǒu四sì口kǒu人rén. Four.
高老师马mǎ小xiǎo明míng, 你nǐ弟dì弟di妹mèi妹mei多duō大dà? Ma Xiaoming, how old are your siblings?
马小明我wǒ没méi有yǒu弟dì弟di. 妹mèi妹mei八bā岁suì. No younger brother. My sister is 8.

Vocabulary

多duō大dà: expression how old
多duō少shǎo: pronoun how many (large)
岁suì: measure word years (of age)
哥gē哥ge: noun older brother
弟dì弟di: noun younger brother
姐jiě姐jie: noun older sister
妹mèi妹mei: noun younger sister
六liù: numeral six
七qī: numeral seven
八bā: numeral eight
九jiǔ: numeral nine
十shí: numeral ten
两liǎng: numeral two (with measure word)

New characters

哥: (in 哥哥 = older brother)
哥哥 gēge — older brother
多duō: many; much
多大 duō dà — how old多少 duōshao — how many (large)多久 duō jiǔ — how long (asking duration)
十shí: ten
十分 shífēn — very (formal / written register)
九jiǔ: nine
岁suì: years (of age)
姐: (in 姐姐 = older sister)
姐姐 jiějie — older sister
六liù: six
两liǎng: two (with measure word)
八bā: eight
弟: (in 弟弟 = younger brother)
弟弟 dìdi — younger brother
七qī: seven
少shǎo: (in 多少 = how many)
多少 duōshao — how many (large)不少 bù shǎo — quite a lot (lit. "not few")多少钱 duōshao qián — how much (money)? — transactional opener

Hanzi — writing & recognition

六

liù six Writing

4 strokes top-bottom

Number 6.

七

qī seven Writing

2 strokes standalone

Number 7.

八

bā eight Writing

2 strokes standalone

九

jiǔ nine Writing

2 strokes standalone

十

shí ten Writing

2 strokes standalone

岁

suì years (of age) Recognition

6 strokes top-bottom

哥

gē (in 哥哥 = older brother) Recognition

10 strokes top-bottom

弟

dì (in 弟弟 = younger brother) Recognition

7 strokes top-bottom

姐

jiě (in 姐姐 = older sister) Recognition

8 strokes left-right radical 女

妹

mèi (in 妹妹 = younger sister) Recognition

8 strokes left-right radical 女

两

liǎng two (with measure word) Recognition

7 strokes top-bottom

多

duō many; much Recognition

6 strokes top-bottom

Grammar

Asking age — 多大 / 几岁 / 多少

Explanation

Three ways to ask age: (1) 多大 — "how old" — neutral / general. 你多大? (2) 几岁 — "how many years?" — for children (age <10). 妹妹几岁? (3) 多少 — for large numbers (also age >100, but 多大 is more common). KEY: with measure words, 二 becomes 两. 两个人 (NOT *二个人), 两岁, 两口人. Number-MW pattern: number + measure word + noun (一个朋友, 两个学生).

Examples

你多大? How old are you?
我十八岁. I am 18 years old.
你妹妹几岁? How old is your younger sister?
我有两个哥哥. I have two older brothers.

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