LESSON III The Numerals up to one Hundred
Reading edition
One, ih 一.
Two, nyi° or °liang 二, 兩.
Three, san 三.
Four, s° 四.
Five, °ng 五.
Six, lok 六.
Seven, tshih 七.
Eight, pah 八.
Nine, °kyeu 九.
Ten, zeh 十.
From ten to twenty the numerals are formed by adding the digits after ten.
Eleven, zeh-ih 十一.
Twelve, zeh-nyi° 十二, etc.
Fifteen, zeh-°ng, pronounced °se-°ng 十五.
Twenty, nyan° 念. (In speaking of the day of the month nyi°-seh is used) 二十.
Thirty, san-seh 三十. (Lit. three tens. The Z sound in zeh becomes S when preceded by another word.)
Forty, s°-seh 四十.
Fifty, °ng-seh 五十.
Sixty, lok-seh 六十.
Seventy, tshih-seh 七十.
Eighty, pah seh 八十.
Ninety, °kyeu-seh 九十.
One Hundred, ih pak 一百.
The intervening numbers between twenty and thirty, etc., are formed regularly by adding the digits to the decimals. Thus twenty-one is nyan°-ih. Thirty-one, is san-seh-ih, etc.
Thirty-five is pronounced san-°so-°ng.
In using the numeral with the noun, the classifier of the noun is introduced between the numeral and the noun. Thus “Four men” is s° kuh nyung (四個人) not s° nyung. “Six chairs” is lok tsak iui°-°ts (六隻椅子) not lok iui°-°ts.
In speaking of a thing well understood the noun is often omitted, and we have simply the numeral with the classifier, as lok kuh, tshih tsak, etc.
VOCABULARY
A cow, ih tsak nyeu 一隻牛.
A native, ih kuh °pung-di°-nyung 一個本地人.
A foreigner, ih kuh °nga-kok-nyung 一個外國人. (Literally, outside kingdom man).
Children, °siau-noen 小囝.
A large box or trunk, ih tsak siang-°ts 一隻箱子.
A small box, ih tsak ‘ah-°ts 一隻匣子.
A fan, ih °po sen°-°ts 一把扇子.
A broom, ih °po °sau °tseu 一把掃箒.
A tea pot, ih °po dzo-‘oo 一把茶壺.
To be, is, are, °z 是.
EXERCISES
(Translate into English)
(1) °Ngoo iau° san tsak siang-°ts.
(2) °Di °po sen°-°ts °z noong°-kuh.
(3) I-kuh ‘eu-°ts °yeu ih tsak ‘ah-°ts.
(4) °Ngoo-kuh sien-sang iau° ih °po dzo-‘oo.
(5) San-seh-ih tsak yang °z i-kuh.
(6) Nyan°-tshih tsak nyeu °z i-kuh.
(7) I-kuh °nga-kok-nyung °yeu °liang tsak iui°-°ts.
(8) San-seh, °z san kuh zeh.
(9) Ih pak, °z zeh kuh zeh.
(10) °So-°ng kuh nyung °yeu °so-°ng tsak de-°ts.
(11) Sien-sang °z °pung-di°-nyung, °ngoo °z °nga-kok-nyung.
(12) Yoong°-nyung iau° ih °po °sau-°tseu.
(一) 我要三隻箱子.
(二) 第把扇子是儂個.
(三) 伊個兒子有一隻匣子.
(四) 我個先生要一把茶壺.
(五) 三十一隻羊是伊個.
(六) 念七隻牛是伊個.
(七) 伊個外國人有两隻椅子.
(八) 三十是三個十.
(九) 一百是十個十.
(十) 十五個人有十五隻檯子.
(十一) 先生是本地人我是外國人.
(十二) 用人要一把掃箒.
(Translate into Chinese)
(1) He wants three tea pots.
(2) Four pupils want four fans.
(3) This large box is my friends.
(4) He has thirty knives.
(5) These five dollars are the pupils’.
(6) The teacher has twenty-five pupils.
(7) These two fans are his.
(8) That small box is the foreigner’s.
(9) Six tens are sixty.
(10) My friend has five children, three sons and two daughters.
(一) 伊要三把茶壺.
(二) 四個學生子要四把扇子.
(三) 第隻箱子是我個朋友個.
(四) 伊有三十把刀.
(五) 第個五塊洋錢是學生子個.
(六) 先生有念五個學生子.
(七) 第個兩把扇子是伊個.
(八) 伊隻匣子是外國人個.
(九) 六個十是六十.
(十) 我個朋友有五個小囝三個兒子兩個囡.
Note.
‘Ah-°ts is a small box in distinction from Siang-°ts, a large box, but as will be seen later the adjectives for large and small may also be used with both of these words.