About This Lesson
Use Living nearby and getting to class to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
你住在哪里？
Nǐ zhù zài nǎlǐ? Where do you live?
B
我住在附近。
Wǒ zhù zài fùjìn. I live nearby.
A
你怎么来这里？
Nǐ zěnme lái zhèlǐ? How do you get here?
B
天晴的时候，我骑自行车。
Tiān qíng de shíhou, wǒ qí zìxíngchē. I ride my bike on sunny days.
A
下雨天呢？
Xiàyǔtiān ne? What about rainy days?
B
下雨的时候，我坐公交车。
Xiàyǔ de shíhou, wǒ zuò gōngjiāochē. I take the bus when it rains.Word by Word
你
你 means “you,” the person being addressed in the questions 你住在哪里？ and 你怎么来这里？ It is used before a verb when asking a classmate about their home or arrival, as in 你住在哪里？.
住
住 means “live” in 你住在哪里？ and 我住在附近。 It describes a person’s place of residence and is used with a location, as in 住在附近. Use it when asking or answering where someone lives.
在
在 connects 住 with the location in 我住在附近。 Here it introduces the place where the person lives. The same location-linking use appears in 住在附近 when telling a classmate where you live.
哪里
哪里 means “where” in 你住在哪里？ and asks for a location. It comes after the action being questioned, as in 住在哪里. Use it when asking someone where they live or where something is.
我
我 means “I” or “me” and is the speaker in 我住在附近、我骑自行车 and 我坐公交车。 It appears before the action or description about the speaker. Use it when answering a classmate about your home or how you travel.
附近
附近 means “nearby” in 我住在附近。 It is the location that follows 在 in this sentence, so the speaker says that their home is close to the relevant place. Use 住在附近 when telling someone that you live close by.
怎么
怎么 means “how” in 你怎么来这里？ and asks about the way or means of getting here. It appears before the action being asked about, as in 怎么来这里. Use it when asking a classmate how they reached the classroom.
来
来 means “come” or “get to” in 你怎么来这里？, describing movement toward the place where the speakers are. It is used with the destination 这里 in 来这里. Use this expression to ask how someone arrived at a shared location.
这里
这里 means “here” in 你怎么来这里？ and refers to the place where the speakers are, the classroom in this dialogue. It can follow 来 to identify the destination, as in 来这里. Use it when talking about arriving at the current place.
天
天 contributes the idea of a “day” in the weather expressions 天晴的时候 and 下雨天。 In 天晴的时候 it is part of the description of a sunny day, while in 下雨天 it follows 下雨 to mean a rainy day. Use it when framing an activity by the weather or day.
晴
晴 means “sunny” or “clear” in 天晴的时候。 It describes the weather before the time expression 时候, giving the meaning “when the weather is sunny.” Use 天晴的时候 when explaining what you do on sunny days.
的
的 links the weather description 天晴 with 时候 in 天晴的时候。 Together, this makes a time expression meaning “when it is sunny.” Use the same linking function in a phrase such as 下雨的时候 when describing an action during rain.
时候
时候 means “time” and helps form “when” expressions in 天晴的时候 and 下雨的时候。 It follows the condition and makes that condition the time for the main action. Use 下雨的时候 when explaining what you do while it is raining.
骑
骑 means “ride” in 我骑自行车。 It describes the action of traveling on the bicycle named after it. Use 骑自行车 when telling someone that you travel by bicycle, such as on sunny days.
自行车
自行车 means “bicycle” in 我骑自行车。 It is the vehicle used with 骑 in this dialogue. Use the exact phrase 骑自行车 when describing bicycle travel to class.
下雨
下雨 means “rain” or “it is raining” in 下雨天 and 下雨的时候。 It describes the weather condition that changes the speaker’s way of getting to class. Use 下雨的时候 when explaining what you do while rain is falling.
呢
呢 marks 下雨天呢？ as a follow-up question about another topic or condition, meaning “what about rainy days?” It lets the speaker shift from sunny days to rainy days without repeating the whole question. Use a condition or topic followed by 呢 when asking for the corresponding information.
坐
坐 means “take” or “ride” in 我坐公交车。 Here it describes traveling by the vehicle that follows it. Use 坐公交车 when saying that you travel by bus, especially in the rainy-day situation in this dialogue.
公交车
公交车 means “bus” in 我坐公交车。 It is the vehicle used with 坐 for the speaker’s rainy-day journey. Use the exact phrase 坐公交车 when telling someone that you take the bus.
Grammar Points
动词 + 哪里
住哪里？
Zhù nǎlǐ?Where do you live?
中文把疑问词放在句中信息缺失的位置；英语通常把“where”移到句首。
下雨天 + 动词
下雨天坐公交车。
Xiàyǔtiān zuò gōngjiāochē.On rainy days, take the bus.
“下雨天”可直接放在动词前表示条件或时间，不需要像英语一样使用介词。
Chinese Vocabulary
附近
adv
fùjìn
nearby
我住在附近。
哪里
pron
nǎlǐ
where
你住在哪里?
骑
verb
qí
to ride
天晴的时候,我骑自行车。
晴
adj
qíng
sunny; clear
天晴的时候,我骑自行车。
时候
noun
shíhou
when; time
天晴的时候,我骑自行车。
天
noun
tiān
day
天晴的时候,我骑自行车。
下雨
verb
xiàyǔ
to rain
下雨的时候,我坐公交车。
下雨天
noun
xiàyǔtiān
rainy day
下雨天呢?
怎么
adv
zěnme
how
你怎么来这里?
这里
pron
zhèlǐ
here
你怎么来这里?
住
verb
zhù
to live
你住在哪里?
自行车
noun
zìxíngchē
bicycle
天晴的时候,我骑自行车。
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
where
Show Answer
哪里rainy day
Show Answer
下雨天bicycle
Show Answer
自行车to rain