Lesson 1

Video and text
Listening and speaking
Vocabulary
Grammar exercises
Characters
Multiple choice

Question: Tell your friend that you are not busy.

Hint 1   是 is not used
Hint 2   不 should be placed in front of 忙
Answer  我 不 忙 。 Listen
Comments  In colloquial Chinese the affirmative form of 忙 máng is often preceded by 很 hěn. 我 今 天 很 忙 wŏ jīntiān hěn máng I am (very) busy today. 我 今 天 忙 wŏ jīntiān máng sounds incomplete, or like the answer to a question. If 我 忙 wŏ máng is followed by another phrase, 很 hěn can be omitted. 我 今 天 忙 明 天 不 忙 wŏ jīntiān máng míngtiān bù máng I am busy today, but not tomorrow. When a monosyllabic stative verb such as 忙 máng is used in a question: 你 忙 吗 nĭ máng ma? Are you busy? 很 hěn can be omitted. The answer to this question is 我 忙 wŏ máng I am busy.
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