About This Lesson
Use A Short Fresh-Air Break to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
我坐在办公桌前觉得很累。
Wǒ zuò zài bàngōngzhuō qián juéde hěn lèi. I feel tired at my desk.
B
我们开一会儿窗吧。
Wǒmen kāi yíhuìr chuāng ba. Let's open the window for a moment.
A
我需要呼吸一些新鲜空气。
Wǒ xūyào hūxī yìxiē xīnxiān kōngqì. I need some fresh air.
B
外面的空气感觉很凉。
Wàimiàn de kōngqì gǎnjué hěn liáng. The air outside feels cool.
A
我们可以在窗边休息吗？
Wǒmen kěyǐ zài chuāngbiān xiūxi ma? Can we rest by the window?
B
我们可以在这里短暂休息一下。
Wǒmen kěyǐ zài zhèlǐ duǎnzàn xiūxi yíxià. We can take a short break here.
A
我现在没那么累了。
Wǒ xiànzài méi nàme lèi le. I feel less tired now.
B
我们很快回去工作吧。
Wǒmen hěn kuài huíqù gōngzuò ba. Let's go back to work soon.Word by Word
我
“我” means “I” or “me”; here it refers to the speaker in “我坐在办公桌前觉得很累”. It commonly appears as the subject before an action or feeling.
坐
“坐” means “sit” or “be seated”; here it describes being seated at the desk in “坐在办公桌前”. You can reuse it before “在” and a place to say where someone sits.
在
“在” places the action or state at a location; in “坐在办公桌前”, it means “at” or “in”. A common pattern is “在” followed by a place, as in “在办公桌前”.
办公桌
“办公桌” means “office desk”; here it is the place connected with “前” in “办公桌前”. It can be used after “在” to identify where someone is.
前
“前” means “in front of” in “办公桌前”, referring to the area in front of the desk. It commonly follows a place or object to identify the area in front of it.
觉得
“觉得” means “feel” here, as in “觉得很累”, describing the speaker’s impression or condition. It can be followed by a feeling or description, such as “觉得很累”.
很
“很” adds degree before “累” in “很累”, making the description “quite tired” or “very tired”. It commonly appears before an adjective or state description.
累
“累” means “tired” in “觉得很累”. You can use it after “觉得” to describe how someone feels.
我们
“我们” means “we” or “us”; here it refers to both speakers in “我们开一会儿窗吧”. It commonly appears as the subject before a shared action or suggestion.
开
“开” means “open” in “开一会儿窗”, referring to opening the window. It can be placed before an object, such as “开窗” or the fuller dialogue form “开一会儿窗”.
一会儿
“一会儿” means “for a moment” or “for a while”; here it limits how long the window should stay open in “开一会儿窗”. It commonly follows an action to describe a short duration.
窗
“窗” means “window” in “开一会儿窗”. It can be the object after an action such as “开”.
吧
“吧” makes “我们开一会儿窗吧” a suggestion, similar to “Let’s open the window for a moment”. It commonly appears at the end of a sentence when inviting someone to do something together.
需要
“需要” means “need”; here the speaker needs some fresh air in “我需要呼吸一些新鲜空气”. It commonly comes before the thing or action that is needed.
呼吸
“呼吸” means “breathe” in “呼吸一些新鲜空气”. It can be followed by what someone breathes, as in “呼吸一些新鲜空气”.
一些
“一些” means “some” and indicates an unspecified amount in “一些新鲜空气”. It commonly appears before a noun to show that only part or some amount is meant.
新鲜
“新鲜” means “fresh” and describes “空气” in “新鲜空气”. It commonly comes before a noun when describing its quality.
空气
“空气” means “air” in “一些新鲜空气”. It can follow a describing word such as “新鲜” to form “新鲜空气”.
外面
“外面” means “outside”; in “外面的空气”, it identifies where the air is. With “的”, it can come before a noun to describe something located outside.
的
“的” links “外面” to “空气” in “外面的空气”, meaning “the air outside”. It commonly follows a describing word or place phrase before the noun it describes.
感觉
“感觉” means “feel” or “seem” in “空气感觉很凉”, describing how the outside air seems to the speaker. It can be followed by an adjective or state description.
凉
“凉” means “cool” in “感觉很凉”, describing the temperature of the outside air. It can follow “很” when giving a degree, as in “很凉”.
可以
“可以” means “can” or “be able to”; in “我们可以在窗边休息吗”, it asks whether resting there is possible or acceptable. It commonly comes before an action and can be followed by “吗” to make a question.
边
“边” means “side” in “窗边”, referring to the area beside the window. It commonly follows a place or object to form a location such as “窗边”.
休息
“休息” means “rest”; here it is the action the speakers ask to do in “在窗边休息”. It commonly follows a location phrase such as “在窗边”.
吗
“吗” turns “我们可以在窗边休息” into a yes-or-no question in “我们可以在窗边休息吗”. It normally appears at the end of the question.
这里
“这里” means “here”, referring to the current place in “在这里短暂休息一下”. It commonly follows “在” to say where an action happens.
短暂
“短暂” means “short” or “brief” and describes the rest in “短暂休息一下”. It commonly comes before an action or state to show that it lasts only a short time.
一下
“一下” makes “休息一下” refer to resting briefly or for a moment. It commonly follows an action verb when the action is short or presented gently.
现在
“现在” means “now”; here it identifies the speaker’s condition at the present time in “我现在没那么累了”. It commonly appears before the action or description that applies at this moment.
没
“没” means “not” in “没那么累了”, showing that the speaker is not tired to the same degree as before. It commonly comes before a degree expression such as “那么累”.
那么
“那么” means “so” or “that much” in “没那么累”, referring to the degree of tiredness. It commonly appears after “没” when saying that something is not as much as before or expected.
了
“了” marks a change of state in “我现在没那么累了”: the speaker is now less tired. It commonly appears at the end when a current situation has changed.
很快
“很快” means “soon” in “很快回去工作”, showing that returning to work will happen after a short time. It commonly comes before the action that will happen soon.
回去
“回去” means “go back” or “return” in “回去工作”, referring to leaving the break and returning to work. It can be followed by an action, as in “回去工作”.
工作
“工作” means “work”; here it is the activity the speakers will return to in “回去工作”. It can follow “回去” to express going back in order to work.
Grammar Points
主语 + 坐在 + 地点
我坐在窗边。
Wǒ zuò zài chuāngbiān.I am sitting by the window.
坐在表示“be sitting at/in a place”，地点直接放在坐在后面。
觉得/感觉 + 形容词
我觉得累，感觉凉。
Wǒ juéde lèi, gǎnjué liáng.I feel tired and it feels cool.
觉得和感觉后面可以直接接形容词，不需要使用相当于“to be”的词。
Chinese Vocabulary
办公桌
noun
bàngōngzhuō
desk; office desk
窗
noun
chuāng
window
呼吸
verb
hūxī
to breathe
觉得
verb
juéde
to feel; to think
开
verb
kāi
to open
累
adj
lèi
tired
我
pron
wǒ
I; me
我们
pron
wǒmen
we; us
新鲜空气
noun
xīnxiān kōngqì
fresh air
需要
verb
xūyào
to need
一会儿
phrase
yíhuìr
for a moment; a little while
坐在
phrase
zuòzài
sit at; be seated at
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
fresh air
Show Answer
新鲜空气sit at; be seated at
Show Answer
坐在we; us
Show Answer
我们to need