Asking About Homework | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我应该做什么作业？

   What should I do for homework?

   我应该

   I should

   做

   do

   什么

   what

   作业

   homework

   More detail

   我应该 means “I should.” 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” 应该 is a modal verb meaning “should” here, expressing what the speaker considers advisable or expected. It comes before the action verb: 我应该学习 means “I should study.” The following verb identifies the action that is advised. 做 means “do” here, especially “do/complete” an activity or task. Its base form is also 做; Chinese verbs generally do not change form for person or number. For example, 我做练习 means “I do an exercise.” 什么 means “what.” It asks for the identity or type of something. In this sentence it appears before the noun it asks about, forming 什么作业, “what homework.” For example, 你要什么？ means “What do you want?” 作业 means “homework” or “schoolwork.” It is a noun referring to assigned work. In 做作业, it combines with 做 to form the common expression “do homework.” For example, 我在做作业 means “I am doing homework.” Together, 我应该 + 做 + 什么作业 forms the question “What homework should I do?” The modal 应该 applies to the action 做, while 什么 asks which homework is intended. The fixed translation naturally phrases this as “What should I do for homework?”

2. 先完成这道练习。

   Start by completing this exercise.

   先

   first; to begin with

   完成

   complete; finish

   这

   this

   道

   classifier for exercises

   练习

   exercise; practice

   More detail

   先 means “first” or “to begin with” here. It places the action that follows at the beginning of a sequence. A reusable pattern is 先 + verb: 先看说明。 — “First, read the instructions.” 完成 is the verb “to complete” or “to finish.” It describes bringing a task to its endpoint. The related verb 做 means “to do,” but 完成 emphasizes that the task is completed. Example: 我今天完成作业。 — “I will complete my homework today.” 这 means “this.” It is a demonstrative placed before the noun phrase it identifies. In 这道练习, it marks the exercise as the one being indicated in the immediate situation. The contrasting demonstrative 那 means “that.” 道 is a measure word used with certain items, including exercises or questions. In the pattern 这 + 道 + noun, 道 connects the demonstrative to the noun in a natural Chinese noun phrase; it is not an independent description of the exercise. 练习 is the noun “exercise” or “practice.” It can refer to a practice task, such as a textbook exercise. As a verb, 练习 can also mean “to practice,” but its role here is a noun after the measure word 道. Together, 这道练习 means “this exercise,” and 先完成 means “first complete.” Chinese leaves the subject unstated here because the instruction is directed at the listener. The whole utterance 先完成这道练习。 therefore means “Start by completing this exercise.”

3. 我应该用哪一页？

   Which page should I use?

   我应该

   I should

   用

   use

   哪

   which

   页

   page

   More detail

   我应该 combines 我 (“I”) with 应该, a modal meaning “should” or “be expected to.” 应该 comes before the action it modifies, so 我应该用... means “I should use ...”. The subject is first person; the form 应该 does not change for person or number. Example: 你应该休息。 — “You should rest.” 用 is the verb “to use.” Here it introduces the item being used, so the pattern is 用 + object: 用这本书 means “use this book.” It can also mean “by means of” in other contexts, but the relevant meaning here is using a page. 哪 is a question word meaning “which” when selecting one item from a relevant set. In the full noun phrase 哪一页, it asks which page; 一 is part of that phrase even though it is not a separate selected entry. Example: 你要哪一本？ — “Which book do you want?” 页 is the noun “page.” It can also function as a measure word for pages, as in 一页 (“one page”). Example: 请看这一页。 — “Please look at this page.” Together, 我应该 + 用 + 哪一页 forms 我应该用哪一页？: “Which page should I use?” The modal 应该 expresses the recommended or expected choice, 用 expresses the action, and 哪一页 asks the listener to identify the page.

4. 用有简短问题的那一页。

   Use the page with the short questions.

   用

   use

   有 … 的

   that has …

   简短

   short

   问题

   question

   那

   that

   一页

   page

   More detail

   用 means “use” here. In this sentence it gives the action being requested or instructed; Chinese uses the same form 用 in many contexts rather than changing it for person or number. Example: 用这个。 — “Use this.” 有 … 的 forms a modifying pattern: 有 + something + 的 means “the one/page/etc. that has something.” Here 有简短问题的 describes the page by saying that it has short questions. The 的 closes the descriptive phrase before the noun it modifies. Example: 有图片的书 — “the book that has pictures.” 简短 means “short” in length or extent. It describes 问题 here, not 页; its base form is already usable as an adjective before a noun. A useful contrast is 长 — “long,” as in 长问题 (“long questions”), although the natural choice can depend on context. 问题 means “question” here. The same noun can also mean “problem” in other contexts, so the surrounding description determines the intended sense. Example: 我有一个问题。 — “I have a question.” 那 means “that” and points to a specific item understood in the situation. Its form does not change for the noun’s number or gender. In 那一页, it combines with the page expression to mean “that page.” 一页 means “one page.” 一 is the numeral “one,” and 页 is the measure word used for pages; 页 is also the noun for a page in this expression. Chinese commonly places a measure word between a numeral and a noun: 一页, “one page.” Example: 看一页。 — “Read one page.” Together, 有简短问题的 identifies the page by its content, and 那一页 selects that specific page. The whole utterance, 用有简短问题的那一页。, means “Use the page with the short questions.”

5. 我什么时候应该完成？

   When should I finish it?

   我

   I; me

   什么时候

   when

   应该

   should

   完成

   finish; complete

   More detail

   我 means “I” or “me.” It is the first-person singular pronoun. The usual plural form “we; us” is 我们, so 我 itself does not mean a group. Example: 我是学生。 — “I am a student.” 什么时候 asks “when,” specifically requesting a time or deadline. It can be placed where the answer would fit in the sentence: 你什么时候回来？ — “When will you come back?” 应该 expresses what is appropriate, expected, or advisable. Before a verb, the pattern 应该 + verb corresponds here to “should finish.” It is different from 可以, which expresses permission or possibility: 你应该现在开始。 — “You should start now.” 完成 means “to complete” or “to finish,” with the sense of bringing a task to its end. It is a verb and commonly takes a task or other object, as in 完成作业 — “finish the homework.” In this utterance, the object is omitted because the task is understood from the surrounding context; the Chinese sentence itself does not repeat it. Together, 我 + 什么时候 + 应该 + 完成 asks for the time by which the speaker ought to complete the understood task: “When should I finish it?” The question word 什么时候 identifies the requested information, while 应该 adds the expectation or recommended timing. The nearby context supplies a practical answer: the task should be completed before class.

6. 上课前完成。

   Finish it before class.

   上课

   class; have class

   前

   before

   完成

   finish; complete

   More detail

   上课 refers here to having or attending class. In 上课前, it provides the event used as the time reference: “before class.” The form itself does not specify whether the person having class is a student or a teacher. 前 means “before.” A useful pattern is X 前, meaning “before X” when X is an event, time, or other time reference. Example: 睡觉前刷牙。 — “Brush your teeth before sleeping.” 完成 means “finish” or “complete.” It is a verb for bringing a task or activity to completion. Example: 我完成作业了。 — “I finished my homework.” In the fixed utterance, the object is not stated in Chinese; the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” and the preceding question also refers to completing it. The bare verb functions as an instruction here because of the utterance's context; this instructional force is not a special inflection of 完成. Together, 上课前 means “before class.” Placing that time phrase before 完成 gives the instruction to finish the understood object before class, so the whole utterance means “Finish it before class.”

7. 你晚一点能看看我的答案吗？

   Can you look at my answers later?

   你

   you

   晚一点

   later

   能

   can

   看看

   take a look

   我的

   my

   答案

   answers

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   你 means “you” here, the addressee and subject of the request. In Mandarin, 你 is the ordinary second-person singular pronoun; it does not itself identify a person's gender. Example: 你好吗？ means “How are you?” 晚一点 means “later,” literally a later point by a small amount. 一点 can soften or limit a time expression, as in 晚一点来。—“Come a little later.” The exact clock time is not stated. 能 is the modal verb “can” here, expressing ability or possibility. It comes before the action it modifies: 能看看 means “can take a look.” A useful contrast is 要看看, “want to take a look,” which expresses desire rather than ability or possibility. Example: 你能帮我吗？ means “Can you help me?” 看看 is the reduplicated form of 看, “look” or “read/check” depending on the object and situation. Reduplication presents the action as brief, light, or casual; it does not change the actor. Here it makes the request “take a look” rather than asserting a long examination. Example: 我看看。 means “Let me take a look.” 我的 combines 我, “I/me,” with 的, which marks possession or association. It therefore means “my” before the noun it describes. Example: 这是我的书。 means “This is my book.” 答案 means “answer” or “answers.” Chinese nouns generally do not change form to mark singular versus plural, so 答案 can cover one answer or multiple answers; the fixed translation selects “answers” in this context. Example: 你的答案对吗？ means “Are your answers correct?” 吗 is placed at the end of a declarative-style sentence to turn it into a yes-or-no question. It does not add a separate lexical meaning such as “what” or “whether.” In source order, 你 is the subject, 晚一点 sets the later time, 能 expresses ability or possibility, and 看看 gives the requested action. 我的答案 means “my answers,” with 我的 modifying 答案. The final 吗 makes the whole utterance a question: “Can you look at my answers later?” The sentence asks whether the addressee can do this later; it does not specify exactly when.

8. 做完后把答案带给我。

   Bring them to me after you finish.

   做完

   finish doing it

   后

   after

   答案

   answer

   带

   bring

   给我

   to me

   More detail

   做完 means “finish doing [it]”: 做 is “do,” and 完 is a result complement showing that the action is completed. The object is understood from context rather than stated inside this quote. A reusable pattern is V + 完, as in 看完 (“finish reading/watching”) or 写完 (“finish writing”). 后 means “after.” In 做完后, it follows the completed action and turns it into a time condition: “after finishing.” The pattern V + 完 + 后 is useful for sequencing actions. 答案 means “answer” or “answers.” Chinese nouns do not normally mark singular versus plural here, so the form can refer to one or more answers; the fixed translation identifies them as “them,” and the preceding context also mentions answers. 答案 is a noun, with 答 meaning “answer” and 案 forming part of this established word; it should be learned as the whole noun rather than treated as a freely productive combination. 带 means “bring” in this sentence: it describes taking the answers along to the addressee. A useful contrast is 带 for bringing/carrying something along, while 拿 more generally means taking or holding something; the exact choice depends on the movement and viewpoint. 给我 means “to me.” 给 marks the recipient, and 我 is the first-person pronoun “me.” The pattern 给 + person can mark who receives something, as in 给他 (“to him”) or 给老师 (“to the teacher”). Together, 做完后 sets the time—“after you finish”—and 把答案带给我 presents the answers as the item being brought, with 我 as the recipient. The whole utterance means: “Bring them to me after you finish.” The 把 construction places the affected item before the verb; here, the answers are the thing to be brought, while 给我 specifies where or to whom they are brought.