About This Lesson
Use Meeting a Teacher to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
很高兴认识你。
hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ Nice to meet you.
B
这是你第一次在这里上课吗？
zhè shì nǐ dì yī cì zài zhèlǐ shàngkè ma Is this your first lesson here?
A
我以前来过这里。
wǒ yǐqián láiguo zhèlǐ I came here before.
B
我在这里已经有一段时间了。
wǒ zài zhèlǐ yǐjīng yǒu yí duàn shíjiān le I have been here for a while.
A
老师怎么样？
lǎoshī zěnmeyàng What is the teacher like?
B
老师非常亲切。
lǎoshī fēicháng qīnqiè The teacher is very kind.Word by Word
很
“很” means “very” or “quite” in “很高兴认识你”, making the speaker’s positive feeling clear. It commonly appears before an adjective, as in the pattern 很 + adjective, and is useful when greeting someone or describing a feeling.
高兴
“高兴” means “happy” or “glad” in “很高兴认识你”. Together with 很, it expresses pleasure at meeting someone; you can reuse it after 很 when describing a positive feeling in a conversation.
认识
“认识” means to meet or get to know someone in “很高兴认识你”. Here it refers to becoming acquainted with the person addressed, and the pattern 很高兴认识 + person is useful when meeting someone for the first time.
你
“你” means “you” in “认识你”, referring to the person being addressed. It is used for the listener or another person in direct conversation, especially after a verb such as 认识.
这
“这” means “this” in “这是你第一次在这里上课吗？”, pointing to the lesson or situation being discussed. It can appear before 是 to identify or describe something near the speaker or in the current context.
是
“是” links “这” with “你第一次在这里上课” in “这是你第一次在这里上课吗？”, asking whether this situation is the person’s first lesson here. It is commonly used to connect a subject with a noun or noun-like description.
第一次
“第一次” means “the first time” in “你第一次在这里上课”, identifying this as the person’s initial experience of having a lesson here. It can be reused before an action to talk about when someone does something for the first time.
在
“在” marks the place in “在这里上课”, meaning that the lesson takes place at this location. It commonly comes before a place and then the action connected with that place.
这里
“这里” means “here” in “在这里上课”, referring to the place where the speakers are or where the lesson is held. It can follow 在 to express location, as in 在这里 + action.
上课
“上课” means to attend or have a lesson in “在这里上课”. It describes taking part in a class, and it can be used after a place phrase such as 在这里 when saying where the class happens.
吗
“吗” marks “这是你第一次在这里上课吗？” as a yes-or-no question. It is placed at the end of a statement to ask the listener to confirm or deny the situation.
我
“我” means “I” or “me” in “我以前来过这里” and “我在这里已经有一段时间了”, referring to the speaker. It is commonly placed before the action or situation that the speaker is describing.
以前
“以前” means “before” or “previously” in “我以前来过这里”, placing the visit in an earlier time. It commonly appears before an action when talking about something that happened before now.
来
“来” means “come” in “来过这里”, describing movement toward or arrival at this place. In the dialogue it is followed by 过, and the pattern 来过 + place is useful for saying that someone has come to a place before.
过
“过” marks past experience in “来过”, so “我以前来过这里” says that the speaker has come here before. It follows the action word in this pattern and is useful when reporting whether someone has had an experience.
已经
“已经” means “already” in “已经有一段时间了”, showing that the period of time has reached the present. It commonly appears before the situation being described, especially when emphasizing that something is now established or has continued for some time.
有
“有” contributes the idea of having or there being a period in “有一段时间”, which together with the surrounding words expresses that some time has passed. It can be reused before a quantity or time period when describing how much time there is or has been.
段
“段” is the measure word in “一段时间”, grouping time as one period or stretch. It is used between a number and 时间 when referring to a period of time, as in 一段时间.
时间
“时间” means “time” or “a period of time” in “一段时间”. Together with 一段, it refers to a stretch of time, and this expression is useful when saying that an activity or situation has lasted for a while.
了
The final “了” in “我在这里已经有一段时间了” marks the situation as current and established now. It appears at the end of this statement to show that the speaker has been in this situation up to the present.
老师
“老师” means “teacher” in “老师怎么样？” and “老师非常亲切”, referring to the person who teaches the class. It can be placed before a description or question when talking about a teacher’s qualities.
怎么样
“怎么样” asks what someone or something is like in “老师怎么样？”, inviting a description of the teacher. It can follow the person or thing being discussed when asking for an opinion or description.
非常
“非常” means “very” or “extremely” in “非常亲切”, strongly modifying the description that follows. It is commonly placed before an adjective when giving a strong positive or negative description.
亲切
“亲切” means “kind” or “friendly” in “老师非常亲切”, describing the teacher’s warm manner toward people. It can be used after 非常 to give a stronger description of someone’s character or manner.
Grammar Points
以前 + 动词 + 过
以前来过这里。
yǐqián láiguo zhèlǐI have been here before.
“过”放在动词后，表示过去有过某种经历；“以前”表示时间在过去。
Chinese Vocabulary
第一次
phrase
dì yī cì
first time
这是你第一次在这里上课吗?
非常
adv
fēicháng
very
老师非常亲切。
很高兴
adj
hěn gāoxìng
very happy; nice
很高兴认识你。
来
verb
lái
to come
来过
我以前来过这里。
老师
noun
lǎoshī
teacher
老师怎么样?
认识
verb
rènshi
to meet; to know
很高兴认识你。
上课
verb
shàngkè
to attend a class; to have a lesson
这是你第一次在这里上课吗?
一段时间
phrase
yí duàn shíjiān
a period of time; a while
我在这里已经有一段时间了。
已经
adv
yǐjīng
already
我在这里已经有一段时间了。
以前
adv
yǐqián
before; previously
我以前来过这里。
怎么样
phrase
zěnmeyàng
how is; what is ... like
老师怎么样?
这里
phrase
zhèlǐ
here
这是你第一次在这里上课吗?
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
a period of time; a while
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一段时间already
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已经to come
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来过here