Lesson 4
Let’s use the vocabulary we have learnt in the previous lesson about personal pronouns and countries & nationalities to continue the story with a new dialogue.
Supplementary Vocabulary
| 约翰 | Yuēhàn | John |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 老公 | lǎogōng | husband |
| 老婆 | lǎopó | wife |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 朋友 | péngyou | friend |
| 来 | lái | come |
| 去 | qù | go |
| 度假 | dùjià | to go on vacation |
| 太棒了! | Tài bàng le! | Wonderful! |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 这里 | zhèlǐ | here |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work |
| 北京 | Běijīng | Beijing |
| 出差 | chūchāi | to go on a business trip |
| 什么 | shén me | what |
| 苹果 | píng guǒ | apple |
Dialogue
Emily and John just got back to the hotel after sightseeing. Emily introduces John to Lily.
莉莉：下午好，艾米丽。
艾米丽：下午好。这是我的老公，约翰。
艾米丽：约翰，这是我的新朋友，莉莉。
莉莉：你好，约翰。很高兴见到你。
约翰：你好，莉莉。我也很高兴。
莉莉：你们来中国度假吗？
约翰：是的，我们来这儿度假。你是中国人吗？
莉莉：不是，我是韩国人。你是哪国人？
约翰：我是美国人。我的老婆是英国人。
莉莉：太棒了。
艾米丽：莉莉，你也在中国度假吗？
莉莉：不，我在这儿工作。我在北京出差。
Lily: Xiàwǔ hǎo, Àimǐlì.
Emily: Xiàwǔ hǎo. Zhèshì wǒde lǎogōng, Yuēhàn.
Emily: Yuēhàn, zhèshì wǒde xīnpéngyǒu, Lìli.
Lily: Nǐhǎo, Yuēhàn. Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.
John: Nǐhǎo, Lily. Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng.
Lily: Nǐmen lái zhōngguó dùjià ma?
John: Shìde. Wǒmén lái zhèr dùjià. Nǐ shì Zhōngguórén ma?
Lily: Búshì, wǒ shì Hánguórén. Nǐ shì nǎ guórén?
John: Wǒ shì Měiguórén. Wǒde lǎopó shì Yīngguórén.
Lily: Tài bàng le!
Emily: Lìli, nǐ yě zài Zhōngguó dùjià ma?
Lily: Bù, wǒ zài zhèr gōngzuò. Wǒ zài Běijīng chūchāi.
Try your best to understand the dialogue using the vocabulary lists and notes. However, if you are still unclear about something, click this box to see the English translation.
Lily: Good afternoon, Emily.
Emily: Good afternoon. This is my husband, John.
Emily: John, this is my new friend, Lily.
Lily: Hello, John. Nice to meet you.
John: Hello, Lily. Nice to meet you too.
Lily: Did you come to China on vacation?
John: Yes, we did. Are you Chinese?
Lily: No, I’m Korean. What’s your nationality?
John: I’m American. My wife is British.
Lily: Wonderful!
Emily: Lily, are you also in China on vacation?
Lily: No, I work here. I’m in Beijing on a business trip.
Notes
这、这个、这儿、这里
These four words all refer to something that is close to the speaker, but the difference lies in the specific usage of each word.
- 这 (zhè) means “this” in English and is used to indicate something close to the speaker. It can be used with nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. It is the most general and can be used in a wide range of contexts.
- 这个 (zhège) also means “this” in English and is used to indicate a specific object or thing close to the speaker, and is therefore not commonly used to refer to people.
- 这儿 (zhèr) and 这里 (zhèlǐ) both mean “here” in English and are used to indicate a specific location that is close to the speaker. The main difference between the two is that 这儿 (zhèr) is more informal and colloquial, while 这里 (zhèlǐ) is more formal.
那、那个、那儿、那里
Similarly, we have these four words where refer to something that is farther away from the speaker.
- 那 (nà) means “that” in English and is used to indicate something that is farther away from the speaker. Like it’s counterpart “这”, it can be used with nouns, pronouns, and adjectives.
- 那个 (nàgè) means “that” in English and is used to indicate a specific object or thing that is farther away from the speaker.
- 那儿 (nàr) and 那里 (nàlǐ) both mean “there” in English and are used to indicate a specific location that is farther away from the speaker. As with their counterparts, 那儿 (nàr) is more informal and colloquial, while 那里 (nàlǐ) is more formal.
来 vs 去
In Chinese, 来 (lái) and 去 (qù) are two commonly used verbs that express the concepts of coming and going, respectively. 来 (lái) implies coming towards the speaker or towards a point of reference, while 去 (qù) implies going away from the speaker or away from a point of reference.
你来这儿吧。(Wǒmen lái zhèr dùjià.) You come here.
我去那儿。(Wǒqù nàr.) I’m going there.
Let’s solidify what you’ve learnt with some example sentences. Practice saying them with the recording.
| 我们来这儿度假。 | Wǒmén lái zhèr dùjià. | We came here on vacation. |
| 我去那儿出差。 | Wǒ qù nàr chūchāi. | I’m going there on a business trip. |
| 这是我的朋友，艾米丽。 | Zhè shì wǒdepéngyǒu, Àimǐlí. | This is my friend, Emily. |
| 这个是什么? | Zhège shì shénme? | What is this? |
| 这个是一本书。 | Zhège shì yī běn shū. | This is a book. |
| 这是什么？ | Zhè shì shénme? | What is this? |
| 这是我的书。 | Zhè shì wǒde shū. | This is my book. |
| 那是什么？ | Nà shì shénme? | What is that? |
| 那是一个苹果。 | Nà shì yīgè píngguǒ. | That’s an apple. |
What you’ve learnt
In this lesson you’ve used the vocabulary you’ve learnt so far to read a dialogue, learnt new words and learnt how to use positional words and the difference between “来” and “去”.
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