About This Lesson
Use Taking a Short Break to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
我觉得累了。
Wǒ juéde lèi le. I feel tired.
B
我们休息一会儿吧。
Wǒmen xiūxi yíhuìr ba. Let's take a short break.
A
这把椅子有人坐吗？
Zhè bǎ yǐzi yǒu rén zuò ma? Is this chair free?
B
你可以坐这里。
Nǐ kěyǐ zuò zhèlǐ. You can sit here.
A
我带了一点休息时吃的小零食。
Wǒ dài le yìdiǎn xiūxi shí chī de xiǎo língshí. I brought a small snack for the break.
B
我去拿点水。
Wǒ qù ná diǎn shuǐ. I'll get some water.
A
这里感觉很安静。
Zhèlǐ gǎnjué hěn ānjìng. This place feels quiet.
B
那我们可以在这里休息一会儿。
Nà wǒmen kěyǐ zài zhèlǐ xiūxi yíhuìr. Then we can rest here for a bit.Word by Word
我
In “我觉得累了” and “我带了一点休息时吃的小零食”, 我 means “I” or “me” and refers to the speaker. It usually comes before the verb or description in a statement about oneself. Use it when talking about your own feelings, actions, or things you brought.
觉得
In “我觉得累了”, 觉得 expresses the speaker’s personal feeling or judgment, “feel” or “think”. Here it introduces the description 累了. A common reuse pattern is 我觉得 + a description, for giving your own impression or feeling.
累
In “我觉得累了”, 累 means “tired” and describes the speaker’s condition. It follows 觉得 to say how the speaker feels. Use it when saying that you have low energy or need a rest.
了
At the end of “累了”, 了 shows that being tired is a newly relevant or changed state. It is attached to the description 累 here rather than standing alone. Use this ending when a condition has become true or is now noticeable.
我们
In “我们休息一会儿吧” and “那我们可以在这里休息一会儿”, 我们 means “we” or “us”, including the speaker and at least one other person. It appears before the action being proposed or described. Use it when suggesting or discussing something that people will do together.
休息
In “休息一会儿吧” and “在这里休息一会儿”, 休息 means “rest” or “take a break”. It is the action that the speakers plan to do for a short time. A useful reuse point is to place a short-duration expression such as 一会儿 after it. Use it when pausing during work or another activity.
一会儿
In “休息一会儿”, 一会儿 means “for a short while” or “for a little while”. It gives the planned rest a brief duration. It commonly follows an action to show that the action will last only a short time, such as when inviting someone to pause briefly.
吧
At the end of “我们休息一会儿吧”, 吧 softens the statement into a suggestion or invitation. It comes at the end of the proposed action. Use it when inviting another person to agree to a shared action.
这
In “这把椅子”, 这 means “this” and points to the chair being discussed. It comes before 把 and 椅子 in the noun phrase. Use it to identify a nearby object when asking about it or directing attention to it.
把
In “这把椅子”, 把 is the classifier used with 椅子. It comes between 这 and 椅子 to form the phrase “this chair”. Use it in this noun phrase when identifying a chair or a similar object in conversation.
椅子
In “这把椅子”, 椅子 means “chair”. Together with 把, it names the chair whose availability is being checked. Use it when asking about a seat or referring to a chair in a room.
有人
In “有人坐吗”, 有人 means “someone” or “a person is present”. Here it supplies the person-related part of the question, while 坐 describes sitting. It can come before an action to say that someone is doing something, such as when checking whether a chair is occupied.
坐
In “有人坐吗”, 坐 means “sit” or “be sitting”. It describes what someone may be doing with the chair. Use it after a person-related expression when asking or saying that someone is seated.
吗
At the end of “有人坐吗”, 吗 marks a yes-or-no question. It turns the preceding statement into a question about whether someone is sitting there. Use it at the end when expecting an answer such as yes or no.
你
In “你可以坐这里”, 你 means “you” and addresses the other person directly. It appears before 可以 and the action 坐. Use it when giving one person information, permission, or an invitation.
可以
In “你可以坐这里”, 可以 means “can” or “may”. Here it gives the other person permission or an invitation to sit in this place. It comes before the action verb and is useful when allowing or suggesting an action.
这里
In “坐这里” and “在这里休息一会儿”, 这里 means “here” and identifies the place near the speakers. It follows 坐 in one line and follows 在 in the other. Use it after an action or location marker to direct someone to a nearby place.
带
In “我带了一点休息时吃的小零食”, 带 means “bring” or “take along”. It says that the speaker brought the snack with them. It commonly comes before the item being brought, and you can use it when telling someone what you brought to a break or meeting.
一点
In “我带了一点休息时吃的小零食”, 一点 means “a little” or “some”, showing that the amount of snack is small. It comes before the noun phrase it limits. Use it before an item when the exact amount is not important but the quantity is small.
时
In “休息时吃的小零食”, 时 means “when” or “at the time of”. It makes 休息时 mean “during the break” and helps locate when 吃 happens. It can follow an activity or time expression to frame when another action takes place.
吃
In “休息时吃的小零食”, 吃 means “eat”. Here it describes the action associated with the snack during the break. It appears before 的 as part of a description of the food, and you can use it when talking about something to eat.
的
In “休息时吃的小零食”, 的 links the preceding description to the noun 零食. The words before it describe what kind of snack this is: one eaten during a break. Use it after a description and before a noun when identifying an item by an action or quality.
小
In “小零食”, 小 means “small” or “little” and describes the snack. It comes directly before 零食. Use it before a noun when describing something as small in size or amount.
零食
In “小零食”, 零食 means “snack”. It names the food that the speaker brought for the break. Use it when talking about something eaten casually between meals or during a short pause.
去
In “我去拿点水”, 去 means “go” and shows that the speaker is going to get water. It comes before 拿 to introduce the action that will be carried out. Use 去 before an action when announcing that you are going somewhere or going to do something.
拿
In “去拿点水”, 拿 means “get” or “take”. Here it describes retrieving water, following 去 and coming before the object 点水. Use it with an object when saying that you will get or take something.
点
In “拿点水”, 点 means “a little” or “some”, indicating a small or unspecified amount of water. It comes before 水 in the object phrase. Use it before a substance or item when the exact quantity is not important.
水
In “拿点水”, 水 means “water”. It is the thing that the speaker plans to get. Use it after a verb when naming water as the object of an action, such as getting a drink during a break.
感觉
In “这里感觉很安静”, 感觉 means “feel” or “seem” and presents the speaker’s impression. It is followed by the description 很安静. A useful reuse pattern is a place or thing + 感觉 + a description, when saying how something seems to you.
很
In “很安静”, 很 adds degree to 安静, giving the meaning “quite quiet” or “very quiet”. It comes before the description. Use it before an adjective when describing the degree of a quality.
安静
In “感觉很安静”, 安静 means “quiet” and describes the atmosphere of the place. It follows 很 in this dialogue. Use it when describing a place with little noise or a calm atmosphere.
那
At the beginning of “那我们可以在这里休息一会儿”, 那 means “then” or “in that case”. It connects the quiet observation to the speakers’ next suggestion. Use it at the start of a response when drawing a practical next step from what was just said.
在
In “在这里休息一会儿”, 在 marks the location of the action, meaning “at” or “in”. It comes before 这里, followed by the action 休息. Use it before a place phrase to say where an action happens.
Grammar Points
形容词 + 了
觉得累了
juéde lèi lefeel tired now
Chinese uses 了 after an adjective to show a new or changed state, not simply past tense.
一点 + 名词
带了一点零食
dài le yìdiǎn língshíbrought a little snack
一点 can come directly before a noun to express a small amount; no article or plural ending is needed.
Chinese Vocabulary
吃
verb
chī
eat
我带了一点休息时吃的小零食。
带
verb
dài
bring; take along
带了
我带了一点休息时吃的小零食。
觉得
verb
juéde
feel
我觉得累了。
累
adj
lèi
tired
累了
我觉得累了。
零食
noun
língshí
snack
我带了一点休息时吃的小零食。
休息
verb
xiūxi
rest; take a break
我们休息一会儿吧。
一点
phrase
yìdiǎn
a little; some
我带了一点休息时吃的小零食。
一会儿
phrase
yíhuìr
a little while; for a bit
我们休息一会儿吧。
椅子
noun
yǐzi
chair
这把椅子有人坐吗?
有人
pron
yǒu rén
someone; somebody
这把椅子有人坐吗?
这里
pron
zhèlǐ
here
你可以坐这里。
坐
verb
zuò
sit
你可以坐这里。
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
someone; somebody
Show Answer
有人a little; some
Show Answer
一点tired
Show Answer
累了bring; take along