About This Lesson
Use Basic prices, weather, and discoveries to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
这个多少钱？
zhè ge duōshao qián? How much is this?
B
你住在哪里？
nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ? Where do you live?
A
天气很好。
tiānqì hěn hǎo. The weather is nice.
B
现在下雨了。
xiànzài xiàyǔ le. It is raining now.
A
我忘了带手机。
wǒ wàng le dài shǒujī. I forgot my phone.
B
我找到了。
wǒ zhǎodào le. I found it.Word by Word
这个
这个 means “this” or “this one” in 这个多少钱？, referring to the item whose price is being asked about. It appears before 多少 and 钱 to identify the item. Use it when pointing out one nearby item and asking or talking about it.
多少
多少 asks “how much” in 这个多少钱？, where the amount of money is unknown. Together with 钱, it asks for the price of the item identified by 这个. Use it before a quantity or amount when asking how much or how many.
钱
钱 means “money” in 这个多少钱？ and specifies that the unknown amount is a price. It follows 多少 in this question, while 这个 identifies the item. Use it when discussing an amount of money or the price of something.
你
你 means “you” in 你住在哪里？ and identifies the person whose living place is being asked about. It comes at the beginning as the person connected with 住. Use it when addressing one person directly.
住
住 means “live” or “reside” in 你住在哪里？. It is followed by 在哪里 to ask for the place where the person lives. Use it when asking or stating where someone lives.
在
在 connects 住 with the location in 你住在哪里？, showing where the living takes place. It comes before 哪里, the location being asked about. Use it before a place when expressing being or living at that location.
哪里
哪里 means “where” in 你住在哪里？ and asks for the place connected with 住. It follows 在 in this location question. Use it when the location is unknown and needs to be identified.
天气
天气 means “weather” in 天气很好。 and is the topic being described. It comes before 很好, which describes the weather as nice. Use it when talking about the weather in a place or at a time.
很
很 comes before 好 in 天气很好。 and helps form the description of the weather as nice. Here it links the subject 天气 with the adjective 好; it does not need to be understood as a strong “very.” Use it before an adjective when describing something with this pattern.
好
好 means “good” or “nice” in 天气很好。, describing the weather. It follows 很 in the sentence. Use it after a subject such as 天气 when saying that something is good or nice.
现在
现在 means “now” in 现在下雨了。, placing the raining situation at the present time. It appears at the beginning before 下雨了. Use it to specify that an action or situation is happening at the current time.
下雨
下雨 means “rain” or “be raining” in 现在下雨了。, describing the weather situation. It is used with 现在 and followed by 了 in this line to present the rain as the current situation. Use it when talking about rain rather than about a general weather quality.
了
了 in 现在下雨了。 marks the raining situation as newly relevant or as having come about, so the line reports that it is raining now. It follows 下雨 here. A common reuse point is placing 了 after a situation to show a change or completed development.
我
我 means “I” or “me” in 我忘了带手机。 and identifies the speaker. It comes before 忘 and is also the understood person connected with 带手机. Use it at the beginning when speaking about yourself.
忘
忘 means “forget” in 我忘了带手机。, where the speaker says they forgot to bring their phone. It is followed by 了 and the action 带手机 that was forgotten. Use it when saying that you failed to remember something or an action.
带
带 means “bring” or “carry” in 我忘了带手机。, referring to taking the phone along. It follows 忘了 and comes before 手机, the thing being brought. Use it before an object when describing bringing or carrying that object.
手机
手机 means “mobile phone” in 我忘了带手机。 and is the object of 带. The full phrase says that the speaker forgot to bring the phone. Use it when referring to a mobile phone in everyday situations.
找到
找到 means “find” or “have found” in 我找到了。, expressing successful discovery of the missing thing. In this line, the thing found is understood from the situation rather than stated after the verb. A common reuse pattern is 找到 followed by the thing that was found.
Grammar Points
很 + 形容词
天气很好。
tiānqì hěn hǎo.The weather is very good.
“很”常放在形容词前，连接主语和形容词；这里不一定要强烈表达“very”。
动词 + 了
忘了带手机。
wàng le dài shǒujī.I forgot to bring my mobile phone.
“了”放在动词后，表示动作已经完成或情况发生了变化。
Chinese Vocabulary
带
verb
dài
to bring; to carry
我忘了带手机。
多少钱
phrase
duōshao qián
how much; how much does it cost
这个多少钱?
好
adj
hǎo
good; nice
天气很好。
很
adv
hěn
very; quite
天气很好。
哪里
pron
nǎlǐ
where
你住在哪里?
手机
noun
shǒujī
mobile phone; cellphone
我忘了带手机。
天气
noun
tiānqì
weather
天气很好。
忘
verb
wàng
to forget
忘了
我忘了带手机。
下雨
verb
xiàyǔ
to rain
现在下雨了。
现在
adv
xiànzài
now
现在下雨了。
这个
det
zhè ge
this
这个多少钱?
住
verb
zhù
to live; to reside
你住在哪里?
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
to rain
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下雨weather
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天气now
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现在this