Lesson Seventeen
I am really happy
Basic expressions
As in English, weather can be one of the topics for small talk in Chinese. Learning the following dialogue will enable you to have such conversations with Chinese friends.
Speaker A, Wang Ying, is a Chinese student from Beijing, who is staying in the same flat with Speaker B, Vicky, who is a student of Chinese. Today on the way to their college, they started talking in Chinese.
Let’s study the new words and sentence patterns for today’s conversation.
|
1. |
zhēn |
真 |
|
true, truly, real , really and indeed |
really |
It is often used to indicate the truth of a fact and is also used to state a high degree, as in
zhēn hăo
真好 really nicezhēn m
áng 真忙 really busyzhēn wăn
真晚 really late|
2. |
gāox ìng |
高兴 |
|
happy, glad |
happy |
It is used as a stative verb in the following phrases. A stative verb expresses quality or conditions. In Chinese a stative verb is used where in English one would use the verb ‘to be’ with an adjective. For instance, in tā hĕn m
áng 他 很 忙 he is very busy, máng 忙 busy is a stative verb and means to be busy. Let’s translate the following phrases into English.tā gāox
ìng 他高兴wŏ bù gāoxìng 我不高兴
shuí gāoxìng? 谁高兴？
shuíbù gāoxìng? 谁不高兴？
lăoshī hĕn gāox
ìng 老师很高兴Tāngmǔ hĕn b
ù gāoxìng 汤姆 很不高兴duōshao rén gāox
ìng? 多少人高兴？duōshao rén b
ù gāoxìng? 多少人不高兴？nĭ gāoxìng bu gāoxìng? 你高兴不高兴？
|
3. |
jīntiān |
今 天 |
|
today |
present day |
míntiān 明天 tomorrow.
zuótiān
昨天 yesterday.|
4. |
tiānqi |
天 气 |
|
weather |
sky air |
|
5. |
qíngtiān |
晴 天 |
|
fine day, clear sky |
fine day |
|
6. |
tàiyang |
太 阳 |
|
sun |
extreme sun |
|
7. |
chūlai |
出 来 |
|
come out |
out come |
tā
bù chūlai.他 不 出来
he not out come
He does not come out.
tā méi chūlai.
他 没 出来
he didn’t out come
He did not come out.
c. tā māma zài jiāli , bù xiăng chūlai.
他 妈妈 在 家里，不 想 出来。
his mother at home not want out come
His mother is at home. She does not want to come out.
|
8. |
dàn shì |
但是 |
|
but |
|
9. |
gēn …y íyàng |
跟 … 一样 |
|
as same as… |
with…one shape |
The sentence pattern A gēn
跟B yíyàng一样is used to compare that the two people or things A and B are the same.a. zhè bĕn zìdiăn gēn nà bĕn zìdiăn yíyàng.
这 本 字典 跟 那 本 字典 一样。
this BEN dictionary with that BEN dictionary same
This dictionary is the same as that one.
The negative form for this sentence pattern is bù yíyàng 不一样 not the same. For instance,
b. Bĕijīng gēn L
úndūn bù yíyàng.北京 跟 伦敦 不 一样 。
Beijing with London not same
Beijing is not the same as London.
A stative verb such as máng 忙busy or a verb such as xĭhuān 喜欢 like can be placed after一样.
c. wŏ gēn nĭ y
íyàng.我
跟 你 一样。I with you same
I am the same as you.
d. wŏ gēn nĭ y
íyàng máng .我
跟 你 一样 忙 。I with you same busy
I am as busy as you.
e. lăoshī gēn wŏmen y
íyàng gāoxìng.老师
跟 我们 一样 高兴。teacher with us same happy
The teacher is as happy as we are.
f. tā gēn wŏ y
íyàng xĭhuān nĭ .他
跟 我 一样 喜欢 你 。he with me same like you
He likes you as much as I do.
|
10 |
jīngch áng |
经 常 |
|
often |
go through normal |
It is used as an adverb and is placed before verbs.
a. wŏ jīngch
áng shuō hànyő.我
经常 说 汉语。I often speak Chinese
I often speak Chinese.
b. tāmen jīngcháng măi shū.
她们
经常 买 书 。they often buy books
They often buy books.
|
11. |
biànhuà |
变 化 |
|
change |
change transform |
Used as a verb.
|
12. |
sìjì |
四 季 |
|
four seasons |
four seasons |
chūn
春 spring.xià 夏 summer
qiū
秋 autumn.dōng
冬 winter.|
13 |
dōngtiān |
冬 天 |
|
winter |
winter day |
|
14 |
lĕng |
冷 |
|
cold |
cold |
|
15. |
lĭ |
里 |
|
in, within |
inside |
It is often followed by biān
边 or miàn 面 side, as ina. qĭng lĭbiān/mi
àn zŏu .请 里边/面 走 。
please inside go
Please go in !
b. lĭbiān yŏu hĕn duō rén.
里边 有 很 多 人。
inside has very many people
There are many people inside.
lĭ 里 in is often placed after a noun or specifier such as zhè 这 this or nà 那 that to indicate a place :
c. jiā li
家里tā z
ài jiāli.他 在 家里。
He is at home.
d. bān li
班里 in the classwŏmen bānli yŏu sh
íwŭ ge rén.我们 班里 有 十五 个 人。
There are 15 people in our class.
We have learned zhèli 这里 here and nàli 那里there in Lesson 13.