1. Notice a new usage of 过: 过完春天 and 夏天过完.
2. New usage of 像: 像我就比较喜欢热的天气.
3. The verb 来 is very versatile and extends in meaning as shown in examples such as 接下来, 拿出来, 让我们来形容秋天的天气 and 通常我们都是用 温的 水来洗澡.
4. Notice new ways to compare: 没有冬天那么冷 and 没有像夏天那么热 or 冬天跟夏天的天气有很大的不一样.

Note the usage of the following words used in this lesson:

1. While 上课 was defined as “to start class,” it can also mean “to attend class” as shown by examples such as “因为他们上课一直跟同学说话.”

2. 应该 was originally defined as “should”; however, it can also mean “probably” as shown in the example “老师应该会生气.”

3. 请 has been defined in the past as “Please” and “Invite.” Here it’s also being used in an “ask” context as in “老师要请同学回答问题.”

4. 同学 was defined as meaning “classmates.” However, it more specifically refers to “students in the same class”; which means this term can also be used by teachers and not only by fellow classmates themselves.

1. Note how 习惯 varies in meaning throughout the lesson between “habit”, “custom” and “to be used to.”

2. Since there is no specific word for “Yes” in the Chinese language you can see alternate expressions used to indicate agreement. In this lesson we saw: 没错, 是的 and 对啊.

3. Note the usage of 几句, which is short for 几个句子.

4. Note the usage of 那么多 to indicate “more than expected.”

5. 逛街 can mean both “to shop” and / or “to window shop.”

6. 要看你住在什么地方 is another way to say “It depends on where you live.”

7. The sentence 你们从城市坐公车或火车到别的小镇去 uses the sentence pattern 从 A 到 B to indicate “from A to B.”

8. The sentence 在大城市说英文的人比小镇多 uses the sentence pattern A 比 B comparison verb. So in this example that’s A 比 B 多 meaning there are more A than B.

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1. Both 口味 and 味道 can be defined as “flavor.” The former is used when the tasting involves the mouth while the latter is more geared towards flavors that can be smelled.

2. While in English we tend to focus on the 4 main tastes, in Chinese “spicy” is considered the 5th taste.

3. 我想一下 is a commonly used expression.

4. As noted in recent lessons, repeating a word is a common way to note its emphasis:

有一点辣辣的
有一点咸咸的
你头发的味道会臭臭的
苦苦的

5. Note the forms of verbs used here:

吃起来
喝起来

1. In this lesson, you can see how the meaning of 厕所 varies between “bathroom” and “toilet”, as shown in the following examples.

我们今天要教你们五种我们会在厕所看到的东西.

平常我们上厕所的时候，我们会用到什么?

2. 卫生纸 was defined as meaning “toilet paper,” however the meaning extends to meaning “hygienic paper” which means it can also be used in other areas where tissues might be used such as in the pizza example given at the end.

3. 洗澡 was used in this lesson but wasn’t defined in the past.

1. To say that “Item A is the same as Item B” we can use the following format:

Item A 跟 Item B 一样

2. In this lesson we saw: “Item A is similar to Item B” which used the format:

Item A 跟 Item B 很像

3. To say “Item A is bigger than Item B” we use the format:

Item A 比 Item B 大

4. To say “one by one” we use 一个一个 as in the example:

我们会一个一个形容这些水果.

5. In this lesson we were introduced to the expresssion: 猜猜看. Other similar expressions include:

吃吃看
试试看
去去看

6. Compare the following expressions:

看起来
吃起来
听起来

7. When describing items, you can add emphasis to an adjective by repeating it as in the following examples:

这个水果看起来小小的
吃起来酸酸的
一点点白色
看起来长长瘦瘦的

1. As mentioned in the lesson, addresses in Chinese start from the biggest area and move down to the smallest area. This concept is followed in other areas too, such as names (last name first) and dates (year first). If the name of the country is required on a mailing address, it is usually written in English at the bottom to conform to international postal standards. If you were living in a Western country and wanted to send a letter to someone in China, you could write the address in Chinese, followed by “China” at the bottom. Your local post office would ignore the Chinese and look at the “China” written at the bottom. Once it reached China, the local authorities there would then be able to refer to the Chinese writing for the rest of the address. Additionally, you could also write the letter in Pinyin, since post offices in China are trained to recognize Pinyin as well.

2. China as a country is divided into 省. These are further divided into 县. Additionally, there are 4 city states – 北京, 上海, 重庆 and 天津, plus 2 Special Administrative Regions (SARs) – 香港 and 澳门.

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1. The sentence: 你可以帮忙我把报纸拿给爸爸吗? actually used two characters that we hadn’t taught before.

a. 把
b. 拿

2. The character 了 has multiple meanings depending on where it’s used. Previously we have seen it used as 了. In today’s lesson we saw that it can also be pronounced as 了.

3. 人 can refer to a single person or multiple people depending on context. To specify the meaning of “people”, the 们 can be added, giving us 人们.

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1. 复习 can be used as a verb (to review) or as an adjective such as in 复习课
2. 部分 is used the same way in Chinese as it is in English, so it can also refer to a physical place. For example, if you went to a department store, you could look for the 音乐部分.
3. The greeting 晚安 in Chinese can represent both “Good evening” and “Good night.”
4. The time 中午 represents a period of time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. unlike the “noon” in English.

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1. 课程 was defined in this lesson as meaning “course.” However, it can also be used to refer to a particular lesson. In general however, 课程 tends to refer to a bigger version of 课.

2. 生词 and 单词 tend to be used in mainland China and Northern China, while 生字 and 单字 tend to be used in southern regions.

3. Kirin used the phrase 我们在第一二级. She could also have used 跟 and said 我们在第一跟第二级.

4. In this lesson we learned how to use 等等. An alternate way to say “etcetera” is to say 什么的 in the same way 等等 is used.

1. The measure word 个 is sometimes left off of 这个周末 giving 这周末.

2. 生日宴会 was previously defined as being “a birthday party.” There are actually many different words to describe different types of parties. This particular kind tends to be of the more formal variety where people are expected to dress up to attend.

3. 你帮我去 literally translates as “You help me go.” However, as has been explained previously, “help” in Chinese is usually used to ask the other party to actually do something for you, as is the case here.

4. 逛街 has a loose meaning of “going for a stroll” or going “window shopping.”

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1. The wording 好多 is more commonly used in Taiwan and southern regions. It is used interchangeably with 很多.

2. Although 男生 and 女生 were previously defined as referring to younger people, you can see that the woman uses the term for her father but uses 女人 to describe her mother. Again, you are more likely to hear 男生 and 女生 used in southern regions.

3. There are actually two new words that were used in the first dialogue that weren’t taught before. The first is 拍 which is a verb meaning “to take” a picture. It’s commonly combined with “照片 to form the complete meaning 拍照.

4. The second new word is 开心 which is a synonym for 高兴.

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1. Notice the use of the exclamation particles used in these dialogues (E, Wa, O, He). They can be loosely translated as “Hey, wow, oh and huh” respectively. The particle “a” doesn’t have a direct English translation. However, you will see more of these types of expressive particles used in future dialogues to help you better see when best to use them.

2. Notice the structure of the following question and answer:

你最近都在做什么?
我最近都在忙学中文.

While in English the wording changes for the question and answer, in Chinese the wording is maintained with the actual answer replacing the question portion “做什么?”

3. The following wording shows how you would tell someone to go to a specific website: “上网到chineselearnonline-com这个地方.”

4. The word 身上 uses a new combination of words we have studied before and literally means “body on.” So the question “你身上还有多少钱?” translates to “How much do you have on you?”

5. The phrase 我才知道 literally means “I just know.” In this context, it can mean “I just realized.”

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Things to notice:

1. The words 正常, 平常 and 经常 all share the same format. The first character refers to the rate, while second character refers to “often.”

2. Many nouns on their own are made up of two characters. However, when they are used in other situations, only one of the characters is used. The example in today’s lesson is 语言, which becomes 语速. This is done to add clarity to the language. In fast speech, two characters are easier to distinguish than single characters, which, on their own, may have many homonyms. Many nouns add a 子 at the end for this purpose. In our last lesson, we saw the phrase: 坐车去. In this phrase, the 车 here refers to a car in the phrase but, on its own, a car is called 车子.

3. There is no specific word for “the” in Chinese; so we use 这个男人.

4. Note the umlaut sign used in 女人. The phonetic pronunciation is closer to “nyuren.”

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Superlatives and Comparatives:

最近 – is composed of 最 and 近. Adding a 的 to this construction gives you the superlative construction. Take a look at these other examples below:

– 最近的
– 最好的.
– 最大的
– 最小的
– 最忙的
– 最贵的
– 最便宜的

Use 比较 to create comparatives as shown in the following examples:

– 比较近
– 比较好
– 比较大
– 比较小
– 比较忙
– 比较贵
– 比较便宜

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Summary and additional notes from today’s lesson:

1. 普通话 – used to describe Mandarin in mainland China.
国语 – used to describe Mandarin in Taiwan.

2. 和 as a conjunction is used in both mainland China and Taiwan, while 和 is only used in Taiwan. Both of these share the same Chinese character: 和

3. Some words use different tones in Taiwan than in Mainland China, such as 星期 and 星期 as well as 没关系 and 没关系. Another example is 法国 and 法国.

4. Some words are pronounced differently in Northern China versus other parts, such as 谁 and 谁 or 那儿, 这儿 and 那里, 这里.

5. Some objects are called differently in Taiwan than in Mainland China, such as: 计程车 and 出租车.

6. Some expressions are more likely to be used in one region than another. From time to time, these differences will be highlighted where appropriate.

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Summary of notes from today’s lesson:

1. 您好 – used to say hi to people older than you or with higher social status.
2. 老师好 – used by students to greet their teacher.
3. 王先生, 李太太, 李老师 – titles go after the last name. Women usually keep their maiden name even after marriage.
4. 小李, 老王 – Nicknames are sometimes used between people who are very close.
5. 阿姨, 叔叔 – used by kids referring to close adults outside their family.
6. 你吃饭了吗? – Questions like this may be asked in lieu of “How are you?”
7. 对不起, 请问, 不好意思, 谢谢 – pepper your conversation with these phrases to be polite.

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Other measure words:

杯
本
个
罐
间
件
块
条
张
只
枝
种

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Many times, the choice of words in a sentence has to do with the rhythm of the words in the sentence. Take a look at the following example.

我肚子饿.
我的肚子非常饿.

In the first example, the 的 is left out whereas in the second example it is used. In either example adding or removing it (respectively) would make the sentence sound odd. Over time, with enough examples you will find yourself recognizing these subtle differences and making the proper substitutions when creating your own sentences.

Dialogue 1 Review Questions:

Q: With us together. Show Answer

Q: Do you want to go meet Henry? Show Answer

Q: I don’t know. Show Answer

Q: His house is over there. Show Answer

Q: Where is his house? Show Answer

Q: That’s okay. Show Answer

Q: But I don’t have a map. Show Answer

Q: How long would it take? Show Answer

Q: From here to there. Show Answer

Q: Around. Show Answer

Q: More or less. Show Answer

Q: Around 15 minutes or so. Show Answer

Q: Drive a car. Show Answer

Q: Bus. Show Answer

Q: Train. Show Answer

Q: While you are driving. Show Answer

Q: I can help you. Show Answer

Q: Look at a map. Show Answer

Dialogue 2 Review Questions:

Q: I’m hungry. Show Answer

Q: I’m extremely hungry. Show Answer

Q: I don’t have any money. Show Answer

Q: I didn’t bring any money. Show Answer

Q: What can I do? Show Answer

Q: No problem. Show Answer

Q: You are using your credit card. Show Answer

Q: What do you want? Show Answer

Q: What would you like? Show Answer

Q: A chicken burger. Show Answer

Q: A small cup of cola. Show Answer

Q: A medium cup of cola. Show Answer

Q: I want to order. Show Answer

Q: Please order for me. Show Answer

Q: That’s too bad. Show Answer

Q: Over here. Show Answer

Q: Over there. Show Answer

Q: They don’t use credit cards here. Show Answer

Q: Very troublesome. Show Answer

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In Lesson 3, we saw the names of many countries being introduced in Chinese. Many of them were transliterations of their English versions. Similarly, English names have transliterations into Chinese too, as shown in today’s lesson.

亚当
大卫
凯文
莎莉

Expect to see more such names used in Chinese in later lessons from hereon to get you used to the sounds.

Dialogue 1 Review Questions:

Q: Hello? (on a telephone) Show Answer

Q: May I ask, is Sally at home? Show Answer

Q: Is Sally there? Show Answer

Q: Yes, this is Sally. Show Answer

Q: I’m sorry, Sally isn’t here. Show Answer

Q: Do you have any free time? Show Answer

Q: To introduce. Show Answer

Q: I want to introduce someone to you. Show Answer

Q: My girlfriend. Show Answer

Q: What’s your name? Show Answer

Q: I am Adam. Show Answer

Q: My name is Adam. Show Answer

Q: Can / To be able to. Show Answer

Q: We can go. Show Answer

Q: New. Show Answer

Q: Old. Show Answer

Q: French restaurant. Show Answer

Q: Is that okay? Show Answer

Q: What time is it now? Show Answer

Q: Tomorrow at 5:30 pm. Show Answer

Q: How about today? Show Answer

Q: How is the weather today? Show Answer

Q: See you tomorrow. Show Answer

Dialogue 2 Review Questions:

Q: This one. Show Answer

Q: Very cute. Show Answer

Q: Clothes. Show Answer

Q: That coat is very cute. Show Answer

Q: Would you like to buy it? Show Answer

Q: I don’t think so. Show Answer

Q: Too expensive. Show Answer

Q: Very cheap. Show Answer

Q: How much is this one? Show Answer

Q: This one is 563 dollars. Show Answer

Q: That’s right. Show Answer

Q: You should find. Show Answer

Q: Bigger. Show Answer

Q: Smaller. Show Answer

Q: In that case. Show Answer

Q: How about that one? Show Answer

Q: I think it looks great. Show Answer

Q: Why? Show Answer

Q: Because. Show Answer

Q: I really like this color. Show Answer

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Review Questions:

Q: Excuse me, may I ask. Show Answer

Q: I am British. Show Answer

Q: Really? Show Answer

Q: How long have you been in Taiwan? Show Answer

Q: I’ve been in Taiwan six months. Show Answer

Q: This is my third year. Show Answer

Q: You speak English very well. Show Answer

Q: I don’t speak Chinese very well. Show Answer

Q: Thank you. Show Answer

Q: You’re welcome. Show Answer

Q: What kind of work do you do here? Show Answer

Q: What’s your job? Show Answer

Q: I am a student. Show Answer

Q: Nice to meet you. Show Answer

Q: It’s nice to meet you too. Show Answer

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Notes:

1. Repeating a word softens the meaning as in the following examples:
– 慢走 versus 慢慢走
– 我要去走 versus 我要去走走.
– 我要听 versus 我要听听.

2. The verb 走 can have different meanings depending on the context as shown by its usage in the dialogue and in the above examples.

3. The direction words taught in this lesson can be used using the verb 有 or using 在 as shown by the following examples:
– 旁边有一家茶馆.
– 茶馆在你的后面.

4. The 吧 is used to convey suggestions. A common way to translate it is to use the English equivalent of “better” as shown by the following examples:
– 来吧
– 坐吧
– 喝吧

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Notes:

Depending on context, 也 can mean “too,” “also” or “either.” Take a look at the following examples.

1. 我也喜欢.
2. 我也有蓝色的.
3. 我也没有.

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Notes:
You will see 电 used to describe a lot of objects that require electricity as shown below:

电灯
电脑
电视
电梯
电影
电话

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Notes:
1. 个 is a generic measure word which can be used in most places in place of the more specific measure word. Heidi’s example uses 个 while Kirin uses the more specific 杯.

2. 可乐 is generally used to represent Coke or Pepsi. You could specifically ask for the following drinks using their Chinese names (English names may not necessarily be recognized).

– 可口可乐
– 百事可乐
– 雪碧
– 水

3. In the dialogue, the customer asked for a 大杯可乐. Similarly, one could also ask for a 中杯 or a 小杯.

4. In parts of China you may hear 外卖 (literally: out sell) used instead of 外带.

5. 还是 is only used for the “exclusive or” translation. A different word 或者 is used for the non-exclusive “perhaps” meaning of “or.”

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Notes:
– While it may seem a little rude in Western culture for a shopkeeper to ask his customer “What do you need?” it is common to hear questions like this or “What do you want to buy?” in Chinese culture.
– Don’t confuse the noun 饮料 with the verb 喝.
– The phrase 欢迎 tends to be a commercial phrase, so it is rarely heard or used outside of commercial establishments welcoming you to enter their store.

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Notes:
Adjectives often have a 的 added when preceding a noun. Take a look at the following examples.
– 今天很热.
– 今天的天气很热.

Take a look at these examples using 比较. Try and guess the meaning before looking at the translation.
– 我比较喜欢这个.
– 那个比较贵.
– 我的家比较远.

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Notes:
– Although 什么时候 has a literal meaning of “what time,” don’t confuse that with 几点 which is what you should be using to ask what time it is.

Depending on context, 都 can mean “all” or “both.”
– 都可以
– 都很好.

时候 can be used in many versatile ways as shown by the following examples:
– 晚上的时候.
– 我说中文的时候.
– 他买东西的时候.

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The word 印度话 refers to the language spoken in India. Similarly, you could make references to 中国话 or 日本话. Additionally, local dialects can also be referenced this way such as 云南话 spoken in the Yunnan province or 北京话 spoken in Beijing.

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Notice the relationship between the question and answer below:

Q: 你在哪里出生?
A: 我在印度出生.

In the answer above, the word order remains exactly the same and the question word 哪里 is replaced with the answer 印度. This format is very common for questions and answers. Take a look at previous dialogues where you see questions and answers and see if you can spot this same pattern.