Here are the most important words for items you can find at a market:

To talk about how many items you want to buy, you need numbers and quantifiers:

Numbers

Important Quantifiers (Measure Words)

Here is a dialogue from the textbook showing how to use these words:

Xiǎomíng: Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ xiǎng qù shìchǎng mǎi dōngxi, nǐ kěyǐ péi wǒ ma? (Hello! I want to go to the market to buy things, can you come with me?)

Lìlì: Shì de, wǒ yě xiǎng qù mǎi yì shuāng wàzi. (Yes, I also want to go buy a pair of socks.)

Xiǎomíng: Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì shuāng xiézi, yě hái xiǎng mǎi kùzi. (I want to buy a pair of shoes, and also want to buy pants.)

Lìlì: Nà wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba! (Then let's go together!)

Use these words to describe items:

• 好看 (hǎokàn) = nice-looking / beautiful
• 但是 (dànshì) = but
• 非常 (fēicháng) = very
• 冷 (lěng) = cold
• 试 (shì) = to try
• 穿 (chuān) = to wear (clothes/shoes)

Example: Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì shuāng xiézi. (I want to buy a pair of shoes.) Zhè shuāng xiézi hěn hǎokàn. (This pair of shoes is very nice.)

Look at the picture and name the items:

Try to match the items with their Chinese names:

1. socks → 袜子 (wàzi)
2. shoes → 鞋子 (xiézi)
3. pants → 裤子 (kùzi)
4. market → 市场 (shìchǎng)
5. umbrella → 雨伞 (yǔsǎn)
6. watch → 手表 (shǒubiǎo)

In Tanzania, you can use this vocabulary when visiting Chinese shops or markets in cities like Dar es Salaam or Arusha. For example, if you go to a Chinese supermarket, you can say "我要买一双鞋子" (Wǒ yǎo mǎi yì shuāng xiézi - I want to buy a pair of shoes) or "这顶帽子多少钱？" (Zhè dǐng màozi duōshao qián? - How much is this hat?). This skill is useful for shopping, comparing prices, and communicating with Chinese traders in local markets.