Lesson 17
Learning even just a few places in Chinese will open up a whole new range of conversation topics. In this lesson, you’ll learn a list of common places and see just how easy it is to use them with previously learnt vocabulary.
Places
Here are a list of common places and the measure words (量词）that are used with each. Even though you are still learning elementary Chinese it is most effective to learn corresponding measure words at the same time you learn the new vocabulary.
| 词 | 拼音 | 英文 | 量词 |
| 饭店 | fàndiàn | restaurant | 家 |
| 书店 | shūdiàn | bookstore | 家 |
| 医院 | yīyuàn | hospital | 所 |
| 商场 | shāngchǎng | the mall | 家 |
| 商店 | shāngdiàn | store | 家 |
| 图书馆 | túshūguǎn | library | 座 |
| 机场 | jīchǎng | airport | 个 |
| 学校 | xuéxiào | school | 所 |
| 电影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema | 家 |
| 洗手间 | xǐshǒujiān | restroom | 间 |
| 超市 | chāoshì | supermarket | 家 |
| 市场 | shìchǎng | market | 个 |
| 银行 | yínháng | bank | 家 |
| 咖啡馆 | kāfēiguǎn | coffee shop | 家 |
Supplementary vocabulary
| 所 | suǒ | measure word for buildings whose purposes are explicitly stated |
| 座 | zuò | measure word for big buildings, mountains, bridges |
| 间 | jiān | room; measure word for individual rooms |
| 哪儿 | nǎr | where |
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where |
| 菜 | cài | food, dishes |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | delicious |
| 看病 | kànbìng | to see a doctor |
| 借书 | jièshū | to borrow books |
| 接 | jiē | to pick up |
Language in action
1. 你们去哪儿？
Nǐmen qù nǎ’er?
Where are you all going?
2. 你想去哪里？
Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ?
Where do you want to go?
3. 这家饭店的菜很好吃。
Zhè jiā fàndiàn de cài hěn hǎochī.
The food at this restaurant is delicious.
4. 那家书店的书非常贵。
Nà jiā shūdiàn de shū fēicháng guì.
The books at that bookstore are very expensive.
5. 我要去医院看病。
Wǒ yào qù yīyuàn kàn bìng.
I’m going to the hospital to see a doctor.
6. 我明天要去商场买一条牛仔裤和一件毛衣。
Wǒ míngtiān yào qù shāngchǎng mǎi yī tiáo niúzǎikù hé yī jiàn máoyī.
I’m going to the mall tomorrow to buy a pair of jeans and a sweater.
7. 那家商店的衣服都很时髦。
Nà jiā shāngdiàn de yīfu dōu hěn shímáo.
The clothes at that store are all very fashionable.
8. 我想和朋友一起去图书馆借书。
Wǒ xiǎng hé péngyǒu yīqǐ qù túshūguǎn jiè shū.
I want to go to the library with my friend to borrow books.
9. 我们要去机场接朋友。
Wǒmen yào qù jīchǎng jiē péngyǒu.
We’re going to the airport to pick up a friend.
10. 我的弟弟很喜欢他的学校。
Wǒ de dìdi hěn xǐhuān tā de xuéxiào.
My younger brother really likes his school.
11. 你星期六想去电影院看电影吗？
Nǐ xīngqīliù xiǎng qù diànyǐngyuàn kàn diànyǐng ma?
Do you want to go to the movie theater to watch a movie on Saturday?
12. 请问，洗手间在哪里？
Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?
Excuse me, where is the restroom?
13. 约翰在超市买面包。
Yuēhàn zài chāoshì mǎi miànbāo.
John is buying bread at the supermarket.
14. 下午奶奶要去市场买水果。
Xiàwǔ nǎinai yào qù shìchǎng mǎi shuǐguǒ.
Grandma is going to the market to buy some fruits in the afternoon.
15. 你在一家银行工作吗？
Nǐ zài yī jiā yínháng gōngzuò ma?
Do you work at a bank?
16. 我们现在去咖啡馆喝一杯咖啡吧。
Wǒmen xiànzài qù kāfēiguǎn hē yī bēi kāfēi ba.
Let’s go to a café now and have a cup of coffee.
What you’ve learnt
You’ve just learnt a list of common places and their respective measure words in Chinese. You also read example sentences to see them in use. Now it’s your turn to try to use these places to form your own sentences.
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