About This Lesson
Use Cleaning a Small Stain to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
桌子上有一块污渍。
zhuōzi shàng yǒu yí kuài wūzì There is a stain on the table.
B
我能看到它在杯子旁边。
wǒ néng kàndào tā zài bēizi pángbiān I can see it near the cup.
A
我们有干净的海绵吗？
wǒmen yǒu gānjìng de hǎimián ma Do we have a clean sponge?
B
海绵在水槽旁边。
hǎimián zài shuǐcáo pángbiān The sponge is by the sink.
A
我要用一点肥皂吗？
wǒ yào yòng yìdiǎn féizào ma Should I use some soap?
B
在海绵上放一点肥皂。
zài hǎimián shàng fàng yìdiǎn féizào Put a little soap on the sponge.
A
污渍快没了。
wūzì kuài méi le The stain is almost gone.
B
桌子看起来很干净。
zhuōzi kàn qǐlái hěn gānjìng The table looks clean.Word by Word
桌子
桌子 means “table,” the object whose surface has the stain in 桌子上有一块污渍. It is a noun used for naming the piece of furniture in this cleaning situation; it can be followed by a location word such as 上 to identify where something is. Use it when pointing out or discussing a table.
上
上 in 桌子上 marks the surface or location where the stain is, so 桌子上 means “on the table.” Here it follows 桌子 and comes before 有. This location-before-existence order is useful when pointing out where something is.
有
有 in 桌子上有一块污渍 states that a stain exists at the table location, giving “There is...” here. It can also express possession when a person or group is the subject. Use it after a location or subject when saying that something exists or is available.
一
The first 一 appears in 一块污渍 and contributes “one,” identifying a single stain. Because it is followed by the measure word 块, the reusable pattern is 一 + measure word + noun for naming one item. Use it when identifying one specific object or patch.
块
块 in 一块污渍 is the measure word for the single piece or patch of stain being identified. Its meaning comes from the quantity phrase 一块, not from 一 alone. Use 块 after 一 when counting a piece-like amount or patch in a concrete situation.
污渍
污渍 means “stain,” the mark being cleaned from the table. In 一块污渍, it is the noun after the quantity phrase. Use it when identifying a visible mark on a surface or reporting a small cleaning problem.
我
我 means “I” or “me” and is the first-person subject in 我能看到它 and 我要用一点肥皂吗？. It comes before the ability or action being discussed. Use it when reporting your own observation or asking about an action you may take.
能
能 means “can” or “be able to” in 我能看到它, describing the speaker’s ability to see the stain. It comes before the action 看到, so 能 + action is a useful pattern for stating ability. Use it when telling someone what you are able to notice or do.
看到
看到 means “see” here: the speaker can see the stain near the cup. It is used after 能 and before the object 它, giving the reusable order 能 + 看到 + object. Use it when reporting that a visible thing has been seen.
它
它 means “it” and refers here to the stain already mentioned. It follows 看到 as the object of what the speaker sees. Use it to refer back to a non-human thing that is clear from the conversation rather than repeating the noun.
在
在 in 它在杯子旁边 places the stain at a location: it is beside the cup. Here it comes after the subject and before the location phrase. Use the pattern subject + 在 + place when telling someone where an object is.
杯子
杯子 means “cup,” the reference point for the stain’s location in 杯子旁边. It is a noun followed by 旁边 to mean “beside the cup.” Use it when identifying a cup as an object or as a location reference.
旁边
旁边 means “beside” or “next to” in 杯子旁边, locating the stain next to the cup. The noun before it names the reference point, so 杯子旁边 means “beside the cup.” Use noun + 旁边 when giving a nearby location or directions.
我们
我们 means “we” or “us” and is the subject of 我们有干净的海绵吗？. Here it includes the people speaking together and comes before 有 to ask about shared availability. Use it when asking whether a group has or can access something.
干净
干净 means “clean” in 干净的海绵, describing the sponge needed for cleaning. It appears before 的, which connects the description to 海绵. Use it before 的 + noun when specifying that an item is clean.
的
的 links 干净 to 海绵 in 干净的海绵, making the phrase mean “a clean sponge.” It marks the description-noun connection here rather than adding a separate object meaning. Use adjective + 的 + noun to identify an item by a quality.
海绵
海绵 means “sponge,” the cleaning tool in 干净的海绵 and 海绵在水槽旁边. It is the noun being requested and then located. Use it when talking about the tool used to clean a surface.
吗
吗 is the sentence-final question particle in 我们有干净的海绵吗？. It turns the preceding statement into a yes-or-no question about whether a clean sponge is available. Put it at the end when asking for this kind of confirmation.
水槽
水槽 means “sink,” the place beside which the sponge is located in 水槽旁边. It is used as a location reference, not as the item being cleaned. Use it when giving or asking for the location of a cleaning item.
要
要 in 我要用一点肥皂吗？ expresses wanting or intending to use something; in this context, the whole question asks whether the speaker should use soap. It comes after 我 and before the action 用. Use 要 + action when stating or asking about an intended action.
用
用 means “use” in 我要用一点肥皂吗？, describing the action the speaker is considering. It comes before the material 一点肥皂, giving 用 + material as a reusable order. Use it when saying which tool or substance you will use for a task.
点
点 in 一点肥皂 means “a little” or “a small amount” here. It follows 一 and comes before 肥皂, forming an amount phrase for the material. Use 一点 + substance when asking for or using only a small quantity.
肥皂
肥皂 means “soap,” the material considered in 我要用一点肥皂吗？ and placed on the sponge in 在海绵上放一点肥皂. It is the material after the amount phrase 一点. Use it when discussing cleaning with soap.
放
放 means “put” or “place” in 在海绵上放一点肥皂, which is an instruction to place a little soap on the sponge. The location phrase 在海绵上 comes before 放 and the thing being placed follows it. Use this place + 放 + thing order when giving a simple placement instruction.
快
快 in 快没了 means “almost” or “nearly,” showing that the stain is close to being gone. It comes before 没了 to signal that the change is approaching. Use it before a state or change when reporting progress that is nearly complete.
没
没 in 快没了 contributes the idea that the stain is no longer present; together with 了, 没了 means “gone.” Here it is part of the report that cleaning has nearly removed the stain. Use 没了 when describing something disappearing or no longer remaining.
了
了 in 快没了 marks the changed situation in which the stain has become absent or is becoming absent. It follows 没 at the end of the phrase, so 快没了 means the stain is almost gone now. Use sentence-final 了 after a predicate when reporting a new state.
看起来
看起来 means “look” or “seem” based on appearance in 看起来很干净. It introduces the visual judgment that the table appears clean. Use 看起来 before a description when assessing something from what you can see.
很
很 comes directly before 干净 in 看起来很干净 and gives the description a degree of “quite” or “very,” while also making the adjective phrase natural after 看起来. The key message here is that the table looks clean. Use 很 + adjective when describing the degree or state of something.
Grammar Points
快没了
肥皂快没了。
féizào kuài méi leThe soap is almost gone.
快没了 expresses that something is nearly used up or no longer available.
看起来 + 形容词
水槽看起来干净。
shuǐcáo kàn qǐlái gānjìngThe sink looks clean.
看起来 is followed by an adjective to describe how something appears.
Chinese Vocabulary
杯子
noun
bēizi
cup
我能看到它在杯子旁边。
放
verb
fàng
put; place
在海绵上放一点肥皂。
肥皂
noun
féizào
soap
我要用一点肥皂吗?
干净
adj
gānjìng
clean
桌子看起来很干净。
海绵
noun
hǎimián
sponge
我们有干净的海绵吗?
看到
verb
kàndào
see
我能看到它在杯子旁边。
旁边
noun
pángbiān
beside; next to
我能看到它在杯子旁边。
水槽
noun
shuǐcáo
sink
海绵在水槽旁边。
污渍
noun
wūzì
stain
桌子上有一块污渍。
一点
phrase
yìdiǎn
a little; a bit
我要用一点肥皂吗?
用
verb
yòng
use
我要用一点肥皂吗?
桌子
noun
zhuōzi
table
桌子上有一块污渍。
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
clean
Show Answer
干净beside; next to
Show Answer
旁边soap
Show Answer
肥皂sponge