Lesson 29
Learn about various modes of transportation and talk about how you get to various places.
New measure words
| 辆 | liàng | used for vehicles, such as cars, trucks, and bicycles. |
| 架 | jià | used for machines, planes, radios etc. |
| 趟 | tàng | used for times, round trips or rows |
Transportation
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Measure Word |
| 车 (车辆） | chē （chēliàng） | vehicle, car | 辆 |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | bicycle | 辆 |
| 摩托车 | mótuōchē | motorcycle | 辆 |
| 汽车 | qìchē | car | 辆 |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus | 辆 |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | subway | 辆 |
| 飞机 | fēijī | airplane | 架 |
| 火车 | huǒchē | train | 趟 |
| 高铁 | gāotiě | high-speed train | 趟 |
| 坐 | zuò | to take | |
| 骑 | qí | to ride | |
| 散步 | sànbù | to take a walk | |
| 走路 | zǒulù | to walk | |
| 开车 | kāichē | to drive | |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi | |
| 旅行 | lǚxíng | to travel; trip | 趟 |
| 马路 | mǎlù | road | 条 |
| 路上 | lùshàng | on the way | |
| 地图 | dìtú | map | 张 |
| 机票 | jīpiào | airplane ticket | 张 |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | intersection | 个 |
| 车票 | chēpiào | ticket (for transportation) | 张 |
| 车站 | chēzhàn | station (for transportation) |
Additional vocabulary
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 普通 | pǔtōng | ordinary |
| 快 | kuài | fast |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | be careful / caution |
Notes
Using 坐 in two ways
As you learnt in Lesson 21, the word 坐(zuò) is a verb that can be used to refer to sitting. For example:
- 坐在椅子上 (zuò zài yǐzi shàng) – Sit on the chair.
- 请坐。(qǐng zuò.) – Please sit.
坐 (zuò) can also be used to indicate the mode of transportation, such as taking a bus, train, or any means of public transportation. For example:
- 坐火车 (zuò huǒchē) – Take the train.
- 坐飞机 (zuò fēijī) – Take a plane.
Language in action
Here are some example sentences with the new words from this lesson. Try to figure out the sentences on your own before checking the English. Then, listen to the audio and read the sentences out loud for practice.
1. 我们家每个周末都一起开车出去玩儿。
wǒmen jiā měigè zhōumò dōu yìqǐ kāichē chūqù wánr.
Every weekend, our family goes out together by car to have fun.
2. 我常常骑自行车去超市买东西。
wǒ chángcháng qí zìxíngchē qù chāoshì mǎidōngxi.
I often ride my bicycle to the supermarket to buy things.
3. 妈妈不高兴因为我哥哥买了一辆摩托车。
māma bùgāoxìng yīnwèi wǒ gēge mǎi le yí liàng mótuōchē.
Mom is not happy because my brother bought a motorcycle.
4. 这辆红色的汽车很漂亮。
zhèliàng hóngsè de qìchē hěn piàoliang.
This red car is beautiful.
5. 请问这辆公共汽车去机场吗？
qǐngwèn zhèliàng gōnggòngqìchē qù jīchǎng ma?
Excuse me, does this bus go to the airport?
6. 我们可以坐地铁去那家商场。
wǒmen kěyǐ zuòde tiě qù nà jiā shāngchǎng.
We can take the subway to that shopping mall.
7. 他下周五要坐飞机出差。
tā xià zhōuwǔ yào zuò fēijī chūchāi.
He will be flying on Friday for a business trip.
8. 高铁比普通火车快，所以高铁票更贵。
gāotiě bǐ pǔtōng huǒchē kuài, suǒyǐ gāotiě piào gèng guì.
High-speed trains are faster than ordinary trains, so high-speed train tickets are more expensive.
9. 我不喜欢坐飞机，因为在飞机上要坐很长时间。
wǒ bù xǐhuan zuò fēijī, yīnwèi zài fēijī shàng yào zuò hěn chángshí jiān.
I don’t like to take planes because I have to sit for a long time on the plane.
10. 晚饭后我们常常一家人一起散步。
wǎnfàn hòu wǒmen chángcháng yìjiārén yìqǐ sànbù.
After dinner, we often take a walk together as a family.
11. 我每天都走路上学。
wǒ měi tiāndōu zǒulù shàngxué.
I walk to school every day.
12. 你会开车吗？
nǐ huì kāichē ma?
Do you know how to drive?
13. 外面下雨了，我们打车去饭店吧。
wàimiàn xiàyǔ le, wǒmen dǎchē qù fàndiàn ba.
It’s raining outside. Let’s take a taxi to the restaurant.
14. 马路上车辆很多，要小心过马路。
mǎlù shàng chēliàng hěnduō, yào xiǎoxīn guòmǎlù.
There are many vehicles on the road; be careful when crossing the street.
15. 在回家的路上，我看到了她。
zài huíjiā de lùshang, wǒ kàndào le tā.
On the way home, I saw her.
16. 我去旅行的时候喜欢买一张地图。
wǒqù lǚxíng deshíhòu xǐhuan mǎi yìzhāng dìtú.
When I travel, I like to buy a map.
17. 我已经买好了我们的机票。
wǒ yǐjīng mǎihǎo le wǒmende jīpiào.
I’ve already bought our plane tickets.
18. 我们在车站等了四十五分钟。
wǒmen zài chēzhàn děng le sìshíwǔfēn zhōng.
We waited for 45 minutes at the station.
19. 我不想骑自行车上班了，因为太慢了。
wǒ bùxiǎng qí zìxíngchē shàngbān le, yīnwèi tài màn le.
I don’t want to ride a bicycle to work anymore because it’s too slow.
What you’ve learnt
You‘ve just learnt about various modes of transportation and learnt to discuss getting around.
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