# 这是第几节课了



## Jack Zhou

大家好，我想问老师：“这是第几节课了 ？ ” 英语该怎么说呢 ？ 可不可以说：“What week are we on ？” 谢谢大家


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## Ghabi

As you probably know, there's no convenient way to ask this type of 第几 question in English. I suppose you'd be understood in the right context (i.e. the particular lesson is weekly).


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## Jack Zhou

Thanks！


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## yuechu

"What week are we on?" is good, as you mentioned. Also: "How many classes have we had so far?"
Neither is an equivalent to 第几 but you can probably figure out which class you're on by asking either of these questions.
I believe I've read something like "Which number + noun" (Which number president... ?) in a different post on this forum. Perhaps it works for "president", but I don't think it sounds natural for "class" or "course"...


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## Jack Zhou

Thank you, yuechu.


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## yuechu

Does anyone know what the function of "了" is in this sentence? Does it change the meaning of the sentence?


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## Jack Zhou

现在完成时。类似于吃过了，have eaten.


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## yuechu

哦，明白了。谢谢，Jack!


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## Julienjing1

How many classes are before this one ?
I'm not sure whether it makes sense


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## Skatinginbc

Jack Zhou said:


> 这是第几节课了 ？ ” 英语该怎么说呢 ？


I personally have a tendency to make the following distinction:
節 "period": 計算時間分段的單位。如：「今天上了三節課。」
堂 "class, lesson": 計算課程分節的單位。如：「一堂課」。

A: 「這是第幾節課了？」What period is it now？
B: 「第六節了, 再撐一會兒就放學了。」Sixth! (It's sixth period!)

A:「這是第幾堂課了？」
B:「數不清了, 這個學期已過了大半。」


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## brofeelgood

Skatinginbc said:


> A: 「這是第幾節課了？」What period is it now？
> B: 「第六節了, 再撐一會兒就放學了。」Sixth! (It's sixth period!)


That's my understanding too.

今天的第一节课是数学 = First period today is maths (mathematics).


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## garbage_cnbeta

看《白夜行》英文版有句话
skipped out on sixth period... 
中文版是逃第六节课
好奇为啥没人讨论过"节"的英语是period，搜到了这个讨论。


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## kategogogo

brofeelgood said:


> That's my understanding too.
> 
> 今天的第一节课是数学 = First period today is maths (mathematics).


school period是一个时间概念，相当于“课时”的“课”，不是数学课的“课”。

一个school week 由多个school day 组成, 一个school day 由多个school period组成，

今天第一节课是数学。
Today’s first class is maths.
高中一节课多久？
How long is a high school class period？


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## dojibear

kategogogo said:


> school period是一个时间概念，相当于“课时”的“*课*”，不是数学课的“课”。


因为period是一个时间概念，是不是“课时”的”*时*“？

In the US, grades 7-12 have “periods”. A typical school has 8 periods in a school day, all starting and stopping at exact times. Each class uses 1 period. In the US, "period" and "class" are clearly different because each student has a different schedule. For example:

Every day during period 1, Bill and Sam both have History class. They are in the same teacher's classroom.
Every day during period 2, Bill has French class, while Sam has Biology class.
Every day during period 3, Bill has Biology class, while Sam has English class.


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## SuperXW

dojibear said:


> 因为period是一个时间概念，是不是“课时”的”*时*“？


可以，但“课时”作为一个词不能拆开，而且经常用于汇总，如：“英语课在这学期有32个课时”。
更方便理解的对应就是“第几*节*课”的“*节*”。


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## skating-in-bc

kategogogo said:


> school period是一个时间概念，相当于“课时”的“课”，不是数学课的“课”。



“課時” (class hour) 的 “課” (class) 不就是 "數學課" (math class) 的 “課” (class) 嗎?


dojibear said:


> period是一个时间概念，是不是“课时”的”*时*“？


period (e.g., a 30-minute activity period, a 90-minute lab period) _≠_ “課時” (class hour) 的 “時” (hour)
《國語辭典.課時》上課的時數。如：張老師擔任三個班的地理課，每週共有六個課時 (six class-hours per week)。


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## dojibear

SuperXW said:


> 如：“英语课在这学期有32个课时”。


Thanks. So 课时 means "class hours": the total amount of time spent in that course. For one class session, it is the duration of that session.

I don't know a Chinese translation for the "period" that @garbage_cnbeta shows in post #16:


garbage_cnbeta said:


> skipped out on sixth period...


Here "a period" means something like "a time slot on the school schedule". The school schedule has 8 periods, all the same length. For example, this school has 55 minutes periods, and "sixth period" is 13:00 to 13:55. After each period is 5 minutes for students to go to the place (classroom, etc.) for next period.

Every student has an assigned activity during sixth period: a school class (like History), or study hall (no teaching), or lunch, or "gym class" (exercise). 

So the sentence doesn't tell us what activity was skipped. The student failed to attend their scheduled activity for sixth period.


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## skating-in-bc

dojibear said:


> 课时 means "class hours": the total amount of time spent in that course.


In this case, 時 means 時數 (the number of hours).
課時: 上課時數 (e.g., 32個課時 '32 class hours').


dojibear said:


> For one class session, it is the duration of that session.


In this case, 時 means 時間 (time, duration).
課時: 上課所用時間 (e.g., 瞌睡中, 九十分鐘課時一張眼就過去了 ==> 90分鐘課時 'the 90-minute class time').


dojibear said:


> I don't know a Chinese translation for the "period" that @garbage_cnbeta shows in post #...



The Chinese translation was already provided in his post (#12):


garbage_cnbeta said:


> skipped out on sixth *period*...
> 中文版是逃第六*节*课
> 好奇为啥没人讨论过"*节*"的英语是*period*。


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