Numbers and times are where listening marks slip, because two different answers can sound almost the same. This lesson gives you a way to decode them and to follow a speaker who corrects themselves.
It is the second lesson in the cluster on listening comprehension. The previous one is previewing questions before listening.
What sounds alike, and how do you tell it apart?
| Heard | Means | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| lima belas | 15 | “belas” marks the teens |
| lima puluh | 50 | “puluh” marks the tens |
| tiga belas | 13 | the word ends in belas |
| tiga puluh | 30 | the word ends in puluh |
| pukul setengah sepuluh | 9.30 | half way to ten, so 9.30 |
The hardest one for students is the half-hour. In Malay, setengah sepuluh is half past nine, not half past ten.
Worked example: a script with a correction
The script is original.
Script: Bas akan bertolak pada pukul setengah sepuluh pagi. Yuran ialah lima belas ringgit untuk murid, eh, maaf, lima puluh ringgit untuk murid dan seratus ringgit untuk orang dewasa.
Question: What time does the bus leave? The speaker says setengah sepuluh. That is half way to ten, so the answer is 9.30 a.m.
Question: What is the fee for a pupil? The speaker first says lima belas, then corrects with “eh, maaf”. The corrected figure is lima puluh, so the answer is RM50.
Cross out RM15 in your notes the moment you hear the correction. If you leave it on the page, it is easy to copy the wrong figure later.
The mistake that costs marks
The slip is to write 10.30 for setengah sepuluh because the word “sepuluh” is what you heard. The second slip is to keep the first figure after a correction.
Both come from writing what reaches the ear first. The fix is to decode before writing. Turn the phrase into a figure first, then write the figure.
Check yourself
Answer both questions from the script.
Script: Pendaftaran dibuka pada tiga belas Mac dan ditutup pada tiga puluh Mac. Kelas bermula pada pukul setengah dua petang.
- What is the closing date?
- What time does the class start?
Answer
- “Ditutup” means closes, and the date is tiga puluh Mac, which is 30 March. The opening date, 13 March, is a different detail and does not answer this question.
- Setengah dua is half way to two, so the class starts at 1.30 p.m.
What to study next
Continue with taking short notes without missing the next detail. Practise decoding with the original listening practice player, and log figures you mishear in the mistake log and paper-error review.
For a teacher to read figures at speed and test you, see online one-to-one Bahasa Melayu tuition.