Trying on shoes and asking for a larger pair | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 这双鞋看起来很舒服。

   These shoes look comfortable.

   这

   this; these

   双

   classifier for pairs

   鞋

   shoes

   看起来

   look; seem

   舒服

   comfortable

   More detail

   这 means “this” or “these” and points to something relatively near or salient. Its form does not change for singular versus plural; the noun or classifier phrase supplies the number information. Example: 这本书 means “this book,” while 这些书 means “these books.” 双 is a classifier used for things that naturally occur as a pair. Here it identifies 鞋 as a pair of shoes. In the reusable pattern 这双 + noun, 双 comes between the demonstrative and the noun. Example: 一双袜子 means “a pair of socks.” 鞋 means “shoe” or “shoes.” Chinese nouns generally do not change form for singular and plural, so 鞋 can refer to one shoe, shoes generally, or a pair when the surrounding classifier makes that clear. In this sentence, 这双鞋 means “these shoes” as one pair. 看起来 means “look” or “seem” when describing an impression based on appearance. It is a useful pattern: subject + 看起来 + description. Example: 他看起来很累。 means “He looks very tired.” The form 看起来 is not the adjective being described; it introduces the appearance-based judgment. 舒服 means “comfortable” or “pleasant to wear/use.” It is a descriptive word, and 很 commonly appears before such descriptions in a simple statement: 很舒服 means “very comfortable” or, in this context, simply “comfortable.” Example: 这把椅子很舒服。 means “This chair is comfortable.” Together, 这双鞋 identifies one pair of shoes, 看起来 marks an appearance-based impression, and 很舒服 gives the description. The whole utterance therefore means “These shoes look comfortable.”

2. 这双鞋适合长时间走路。

   They are made for long walks.

   这双

   this pair

   鞋

   shoes

   适合

   be suitable for

   长时间

   a long time

   走路

   walk; walking

   More detail

   这双 combines 这 “this” with 双, a measure word used for things that naturally form pairs. Here it points to one pair, and the following noun identifies the pair as shoes. Pattern: 这双 + paired noun, for example, 这双袜子很暖和。 means “This pair of socks is warm.” 鞋 means “shoe” or “shoes.” In this sentence, the surrounding wording and the fixed translation identify the referent as the pair of shoes. Chinese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural by changing the noun itself; 双 supplies the pair measure here. 适合 means “to be suitable for” or “to suit.” It can be followed by a noun or an activity, as in 这双鞋适合跑步。—“These shoes are suitable for running.” The form 适合 does not change for person or number. 长时间 means “a long time” or “a long period.” Here it describes the duration of the activity that follows, rather than describing the shoes themselves. Compare 短时间 “a short time” in a similar duration expression. 走路 means “to walk” or “walking” as an activity. 走 is the verb “walk,” while 走路 is the common activity expression. In 长时间走路, it forms the activity phrase “walking for a long time.” For example, 我每天走路。 means “I walk every day.” Together, 这双鞋 is “this pair of shoes,” 适合 states suitability, and 长时间走路 specifies the activity and its duration. The whole utterance means “This pair of shoes is suitable for walking for a long time,” naturally expressed by the fixed translation as “They are made for long walks.”

3. 我可以在这里试穿吗？

   Can I try them on here?

   我可以

   I can; I may

   在这里

   here

   试穿

   try on

   吗

   yes–no question marker

   More detail

   我可以 combines 我 (“I”) with 可以, which expresses that the speaker is allowed or able to do something. Here, the fixed translation supports the permission reading: “May/Can I …?” 可以 does not change for person or number. A reusable pattern is 我可以 + verb + 吗？ — “Can I …?” Example: 我可以坐这里吗？ — “Can I sit here?” 在这里 means “here”: 在 marks location, and 这里 means “this place/here.” As a location phrase, it can appear before the action: 我可以在这里休息吗？ — “Can I rest here?” 试穿 is a verb compound meaning “to try on” clothing, shoes, or another wearable item. 试 contributes the idea of trying, and 穿 means “put on/wear.” Chinese verbs do not change form for tense or person; time is understood from context or expressed separately. Example: 我想试穿这件外套。 — “I want to try on this coat.” 吗 is placed at the end of a statement to turn it into a neutral yes–no question. The basic pattern is subject + 可以 + action + 吗？ The question asks whether the speaker may or can perform the action. Together, 我可以 + 在这里 + 试穿 + 吗？ produces: “Can I try them on here?” The item being tried on is understood from the situation and the fixed translation; Chinese does not require it to be stated again in this sentence. The utterance asks whether the speaker may or can try the items on at the specified location.

4. 穿鞋时请用这张凳子。

   Use this bench while you put them on.

   穿鞋

   put on shoes

   时

   when; while

   请用

   please use

   这

   this

   张

   classifier for flat objects

   凳子

   bench

   More detail

   穿鞋 means “put on shoes” here. 穿 is the verb “put on/wear,” and 鞋 is “shoe(s).” Chinese commonly uses 穿 for clothing and footwear; for an action in progress or a general activity, the object can follow directly, as in 穿鞋. Example: 她每天穿运动鞋。 — “She wears sports shoes every day.” 时 follows a verb or phrase to make a time expression: 穿鞋时 means “while putting on shoes” or “when putting on shoes.” The pattern V + 时 is reusable: 吃饭时不要说话。 — “Don’t talk while eating.” Here it relates the shoe-putting-on activity to the request that follows. 请用 contains 请, a polite marker meaning “please,” and 用, the verb “use.” 用 takes the thing used as its object, so 请用 + object is a useful request pattern. Example: 请用这支笔。 — “Please use this pen.” The quoted entry covers both words, while the object appears afterward in the sentence. 这 means “this.” It is a demonstrative placed before the noun phrase it identifies. In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the referent as the bench being indicated, but 这 itself expresses proximity rather than naming the object. 张 is a classifier used with certain relatively flat objects. In 这张凳子, it links the demonstrative 这 to 凳子; the pattern is 这 + classifier + noun. Classifiers are normally required between a demonstrative and a noun in Mandarin. 张 is also used with items such as 桌子 (“table”) and 票 (“ticket”) when they fit its classifier usage. 凳子 means “stool” or “bench.” It is the object of 用, so the request asks the listener to use this stool/bench. The noun is not itself marked for singular or plural here; the demonstrative-classifier-noun phrase identifies the intended item in context. Together, 穿鞋时 sets the time or situation, and 请用这张凳子 gives a polite request: “Please use this bench while you put on your shoes.”

5. 这双鞋穿起来有一点小。

   They feel a little small.

   这双

   this pair of

   鞋

   shoes

   穿起来

   feel when worn

   有一点

   a little

   小

   small

   More detail

   这双 combines 这 (“this”) with 双, the measure word used for things that naturally come as two matching parts, such as shoes. The demonstrative identifies the pair being indicated; 双 marks the pair unit. Example: 这双袜子 means “this pair of socks.” 鞋 means “shoe” or “shoes.” In this sentence it names the footwear referred to by 这双; Chinese does not need a plural ending here because the pair meaning is already supplied by 双. 穿起来 uses 穿 (“wear; put on”) with 起来. Here the combination describes how something feels or appears when it is worn, so it can be reused as a pattern: X 穿起来 + description = “X feels/looks when worn.” Example: 这件衣服穿起来很舒服。 — “This piece of clothing feels comfortable when worn.” The 起来 in this construction is not the ordinary command “get up.” 有一点 means “have a little” and, before a descriptive word, softens the degree: 有一点 + adjective = “a little [adjective].” Example: 这个房间有一点冷。 — “This room is a little cold.” It expresses a small degree here, not a count of shoes. 小 means “small.” In this utterance, applied to the shoes as they are worn, it means that they feel too small in fit. Its basic opposite is 大 (“big”); a useful comparison is 大一点, “a little bigger,” as in the following-context example 这双大一点的 (“this slightly larger pair”). Together, 这双鞋 identifies this pair of shoes, 穿起来 frames the judgment as the experience of wearing them, and 有一点小 gives that experience a mild degree. The whole utterance therefore means: “They feel a little small.”

6. 试试这双大一点的。

   Try this larger pair.

   试试

   try

   这

   this

   双

   pair; classifier for paired things

   大

   large

   一点

   a little

   的

   attributive linker

   More detail

   试试 is the reduplicated form of 试 “to try.” Reduplicating this kind of verb presents the action as a brief trial: 看看 means “take a look,” and 听听 means “have a listen.” Here it is a suggestion to try something, not a statement that the trying has already happened. 这 means “this” and points to something identified in the situation. In this sentence, the fixed translation and surrounding context support “this pair”; the form itself does not mark grammatical gender, and it does not by itself specify a numeric count. 双 is the classifier used for paired items, including shoes. 这双 therefore means “this pair,” with 这 identifying the item and 双 supplying the appropriate classifier. A useful reusable pattern is 这 + classifier + noun, as in 这本书 “this book,” where 本 is the classifier for books. 大 means “large” or “big.” In 大一点, it is compared with the currently considered pair: the requested pair is somewhat larger. The adjective itself is 大; 一点 adds a small degree rather than marking a full, explicit measurement comparison. 一点 means “a little” here. After an adjective, 一点 commonly expresses a small difference or adjustment: 慢一点 means “a little slower,” and 近一点 means “a little closer.” In this sentence, it modifies 大, producing the pattern 大一点 “a little larger.” 的 closes the descriptive phrase 大一点的 and links that description to the understood noun. Thus 大一点的 means “the one(s) that are a little larger”; the noun is omitted because the pair being selected is already clear. This use of 的 is different from the possessive use in a phrase such as 我的书 “my book.” Together, 试试 gives the suggestion “try,” 这双 identifies the pair, and 大一点的 selects the pair that is a little larger. The complete utterance is therefore “Try this larger pair,” with 这双 referring to the pair understood from the situation. The pattern 试试 + [noun phrase] is reusable for making a brief suggestion to try something.

7. 这双穿起来更舒服。

   This pair feels better.

   这双

   this pair

   穿起来

   wearing it; when worn

   更舒服

   more comfortable

   More detail

   这双 means “this pair.” 这 points to a nearby or contextually identified item, and 双 is the classifier used for a pair of matching items. Here, the fixed translation identifies the referent as a pair, but the sentence does not specify more precisely what kind of pair it is. A reusable pattern is 这 + classifier + noun, as in 这本书 (“this book”) or 这件衣服 (“this item of clothing”). 穿起来 describes the experience or result of wearing something. 穿 is the verb “to wear” or “to put on,” while 起来 here forms a pattern meaning “when worn” or “in terms of how it feels when wearing it,” rather than simply meaning that an action starts. For example, 这件衣服穿起来很舒服。 means “This item of clothing is very comfortable to wear.” 更舒服 means “more comfortable” or, naturally here, “feels better.” 舒服 is the base adjective “comfortable,” and 更 marks a higher degree in a comparison: 舒服 → 更舒服 (“comfortable” → “more comfortable”). The sentence expresses a comparison, although it does not state the comparison standard explicitly. Together, 这双 identifies the pair, 穿起来 evaluates the experience of wearing it, and 更舒服 says that this experience is better than the relevant comparison. The whole utterance therefore means “This pair feels better” or “This pair is more comfortable to wear.”

8. 那个尺码看起来正合适。

   That size looks right on you.

   那个

   that

   尺码

   size

   看起来

   looks; seems

   正合适

   fits just right

   More detail

   那个 means “that” here. In 那个尺码, 那个 is the demonstrative phrase before 尺码; 个 is the classifier used with this noun. Mandarin demonstratives commonly appear in the pattern 这/那 + classifier + noun: 这个尺码 “this size,” 那个尺码 “that size.” The sentence and fixed translation identify the size being referred to as the one that looks right on the person; they do not specify who the wearer is. 尺码 is the noun “size,” especially a size designation for clothing, shoes, or similar items. A useful pattern is 尺码 + adjective: 尺码合适 means “the size is suitable/right.” 看起来 means “look/seem” when describing an appearance or impression. The pattern subject + 看起来 + adjective presents an assessment based on how something appears: 这件衣服看起来很舒服。 “This piece of clothing looks very comfortable.” Here, 看起来 does not mean simply “look at”; that action is usually expressed with 看 plus an object, as in 看书 “read/look at a book.” 正合适 describes a particularly good fit or match. 正 adds the sense “exactly/just,” while 合适 means “suitable” or “right.” The useful contrast is 合适 “suitable/right” versus 不合适 “unsuitable/not right.” For example, 这个时间正合适。 “This time is just right.” Together, 那个尺码 identifies “that size,” 看起来 marks the speaker’s visual assessment, and 正合适 says the assessment is that the size is exactly right. Thus the whole utterance means “That size looks right on you.”