shàngkè de shíhou bié dàizhe ěrjī tīng yīnyuè.

Don’t listen to music with earphones during class.

Breakdown of shàngkè de shíhou bié dàizhe ěrjī tīng yīnyuè.

• 听tīng: to listen
• 的de: structural particle
• 别bié: don't
• 着zhe: durative aspect particle

Questions & Answers about shàngkè de shíhou bié dàizhe ěrjī tīng yīnyuè.

What does 上课的时候 mean here?

It means during class or when class is going on.

• 上课 = to be in class / to have class / to attend class
• 的时候 = when, at the time of, or during

So 上课的时候 is a time expression meaning when class is in session.

Why is there a 的 in 上课的时候?

In this pattern, 的 links a verb phrase to 时候.

Structure:

• [verb phrase] + 的 + 时候

So:

• 上课的时候 = the time when class is happening

This is a very common pattern in Chinese:

• 吃饭的时候 = when eating
• 下雨的时候 = when it rains
• 小时候 is a fixed word, but in general 的时候 often works this way

In casual speech, native speakers sometimes shorten it and drop 的 in some expressions, but 上课的时候 is completely standard.

What does 别 mean, and why is it used here?