.

You now know numbers up to a hundred and dates. Start practicing with the numbers around you. Every time you see a number in that range, try to figure out what it would be in Chinese. If you see a date, translate that in Chinese as well. The more you practice the better and quicker you will become at it.

Culture Note:

Birthdays aren’t celebrated with the same enthusiasm in China as they are in Western cultures. A typical birthday celebration may involve going out for dinner. Noodles are usually associated with birthday dinners since their length implies longevity.

People don’t usually age a year on their birthdays in China as they do in the West. Instead, everyone ages a year together during Chinese New Year. Also, when you are born you are considered to be one year old already. So most ages in Chinese are a year older than they would be by Western standards.

Things to notice: in the beginning as you practice, people will speak slowly to you and compliment your Chinese even though all you did was say hello or thank you. Over time though, as your Chinese improves you’ll notice people speaking faster and less compliments coming your way. This is an even greater complement as you are now at the level where they don’t have to speak slowly for you to understand and your Chinese is fluent enough that it doesn’t need to be complemented! Strive to get to this level.