Grade 7 Mandarin Chinese FOODS AND DRINKS - Listening and Speaking – Listening for Information Notes

FOODS AND DRINKS — Listening for Information (Mandarin Chinese)

Age: 12 (Kenya) • Subtopic: Listening for information • Focus: grammatical markers to listen for when hearing texts about food and drinks.

Learning Outcomes

• Outline vocabulary related to foods & drinks from a spoken text by recognising grammatical forms (measure words, verbs, numbers).
• Extract key information from a spoken text by noting question words, negation and numbers.
• Acknowledge why catching grammatical cues (measure words, "要/想", negation, numbers) helps communication and ordering.

Key grammar points to listen for (with examples)

1. Measure words ( classifiers ) — Chinese uses special words between numbers and nouns. Listen for them to know quantity and item type.
   Examples:

   • 一杯茶 (yī bēi chá) — one cup of tea. 杯 = cup
   • 两碗饭 (liǎng wǎn fàn) — two bowls of rice. 碗 = bowl
   • 一份鸡肉 (yī fèn jīròu) — one portion of chicken. 份 = portion
   • 三块钱 (sān kuài qián) — three shillings/units of money. 块 = unit of price
2. Numbers and price words — listen for numbers (一、二、三、几、多少) and price markers (块/元/钱) to extract quantity and cost.
   Examples:

   • 你要几个？(Nǐ yào jǐ gè?) — How many do you want? (small number)
   • 这个多少？(Zhège duōshao?) — How much is this?
3. Verbs of wanting / ordering: 要 (yào) vs 想 (xiǎng)
   Listen for:

   • 我要... (Wǒ yào...) — I want (used for ordering / definite desire)
   • 我想要... / 我想... (Wǒ xiǎng yào... / Wǒ xiǎng...) — I would like / I am thinking of
4. Negation and A-not-A pattern — important to notice when someone refuses or asks a yes/no choice.
   Examples:

   • 不要 (bù yào) — don't want
   • 你要不要糖？(Nǐ yào bu yào táng?) — Do you want sugar? (A-not-A question)
   • 我不喜欢吃辣。 (Wǒ bù xǐhuan chī là.) — I don't like spicy food.
5. Existence / possession: 有 (yǒu) and 有没有 — listen for availability.
   Examples:

   • 桌子上有水果吗？(Zhuōzi shàng yǒu shuǐguǒ ma?) — Is there fruit on the table?
   • 有没有鸡肉？(Yǒu méi yǒu jīròu?) — Do you have chicken?
6. Question words to catch key info
   Common ones:

   • 什么 (shénme) — what? (你想吃什么？)
   • 几/多少 (jǐ/duōshao) — how many / how much?
   • 谁 (shéi) — who? (for sharing or order for whom)
   • 哪里/在几号桌 (where/table number) — listen for location details
7. Adjectives as stative verbs — adjectives can act like verbs (no separate 'to be' for many descriptions).
   Examples:

   • 这菜好吃 (Zhè cài hǎochī) — This dish is tasty. (好 + verb)
   • 茶很甜 (Chá hěn tián) — The tea is very sweet.

Useful vocabulary (embedded in grammar)

(short list for listening; pinyin and English)

• 吃 chī — to eat; 喝 hē — to drink
• 米饭 mǐfàn — rice; 面条 miàntiáo — noodles
• 茶 chá — tea; 咖啡 kāfēi — coffee
• 鸡肉 jīròu — chicken; 烤肉 kǎoròu — grilled meat (e.g., nyama choma)
• 饼/面包 bǐng/miànbāo — flatbread/bread (e.g., chapati)
• 杯 bēi, 碗 wǎn, 份 fèn, 盘 pán, 个 gè — common measure words

Short listening scripts (teacher reads aloud) — focus on grammar

Listening activities (grammar-focused)

1. Fill the blanks while listening — teacher reads Dialog 1 twice. Students write the missing words:
   Example blanks: 我想要 ______ 碗 ______ 和 _____ 杯 ____。 (Answer: 两 / 米饭 / 一 / 茶)
2. Classifier hunt — play short audio of several orders. Students list each item and its measure word. (e.g., 一份, 两碗, 一杯)
3. Question-word match — teacher reads questions from menus (你想吃什么？/ 这个多少？) — students write which question word they heard and the correct short answer.
4. A-not-A listening — teacher reads sentences like "你要不要糖？" Students quickly answer yes/no and underline the A-not-A form they heard.
5. Role play (listening + speaking) — in pairs: one is waiter, one is customer. Customer uses 想/要 + measure words + numbers. Waiter asks price or availability using 有没有/多少.

Comprehension check (examples to ask students after listening)

• 听一听，他们点了几碗米饭？(How many bowls of rice did they order?) — listen for numbers + 碗
• 他有没有要鸡肉？(Did he want chicken?) — listen for 有/没有 or 要/不要
• 多少钱？(How much?) — listen for number + 块/元

Why grammar helps listening (short note to learners)

When you listen for small grammar clues (measure words, numbers, 要/想, question words, negation), you can quickly pick out the important facts: what the speaker wants, how much, and whether something is available. This makes ordering, asking and answering about food easier and clearer.

Tip for Kenyan classroom: Use familiar foods (chapati, ugali, nyama choma, mandazi) when practising; write their Chinese transliteration beside English/Swahili names so learners connect meaning while focusing on grammar patterns.

End of notes — focus on listening for grammatical markers to extract correct information.