Staying inside during bad weather | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 天气看起来很糟。

   The weather looks bad.

   天气

   weather

   看起来

   looks; seems

   很糟

   very bad

   More detail

   天气 means “weather” here. It is a noun and can be used as the topic or subject of a sentence: 今天的天气很好。 means “Today’s weather is good.” The modifier 今天的 specifies which weather is meant. 看起来 means “looks” or “seems.” In this sentence it introduces an appearance-based judgment: the speaker is describing how the weather appears, rather than directly asserting every fact about it. The pattern X 看起来 + description is reusable: 他看起来很累。 means “He looks very tired.” Here 看起来 is a fixed verb-complement construction; it is not the same as simply using 看 (“look at”) in every context. 很糟 means “very bad” in this sentence. 糟 is the adjective meaning “bad” or “awful,” and 很 is the degree adverb “very” before it. In a simple descriptive predicate, Mandarin commonly uses 很 before an adjective, so 天气很糟 means “the weather is very bad.” A milder contrasting adjective is 好 (“good”): 天气很好。 means “The weather is good.” Together, 天气 supplies the topic, 看起来 says that the judgment is based on appearance, and 很糟 gives the judgment. The whole utterance is therefore 天气看起来很糟。, “The weather looks bad.” The following context’s mention of a possible storm is compatible with this appearance-based assessment, but the sentence itself does not state that a storm will come.

2. 暴风雨可能要来了。

   A storm may be coming.

   暴风雨

   storm

   可能

   may; might

   要来了

   be about to come

   More detail

   暴风雨 means “storm” here. It is a noun referring to the weather event that may arrive; it is not a person or agent. Example: 暴风雨来了。 — “The storm has come.” 可能 expresses possibility: “may” or “might.” It appears before the predicted event. A useful pattern is 可能 + clause, as in 他可能在家。 — “He may be at home.” This marks uncertainty rather than stating that the event will definitely happen. 要来了 combines 要 with 来 and sentence-final 了. 来 is the verb “come.” In this pattern, 要 + verb presents an event as impending, and 了 signals a new situation or change that is now imminent. Thus 要来了 means “is about to come” in this sentence. The 了 here is not simply a past-tense marker. Example: 天要黑了。 — “It is getting dark now” or “It is about to get dark.” Together, 暴风雨 is the event, 可能 makes its occurrence uncertain, and 要来了 presents its arrival as impending: “A storm may be coming.”

3. 我们要待在室内吗？

   Should we stay inside?

   我们

   we

   要

   should; be expected to

   待

   stay

   在室内

   indoors

   吗

   question marker

   More detail

   我们 means “we” and is the first-person plural pronoun. Mandarin does not mark an inclusive-versus-exclusive distinction in this form, so whether the listener is included must come from context; here the fixed translation supports “we.” Example: 我们走。 — “We’re leaving.” 要 is a modal placed before the following verb phrase. In 我们要待…吗？, it presents staying as what the speakers should or are expected to do, matching “Should we…?” The same form can also express intention or an impending event in other contexts, so its exact force comes from the surrounding meaning. Pattern: subject + 要 + verb phrase. Example: 你要走吗？ — “Are you going to leave?” 待 is the verb “stay” or “remain.” Its base form is already 待; Mandarin does not change this verb for person or number. It can be used in a location phrase: 待在这里 — “stay here.” Do not treat 在 as part of the verb’s inflection; it introduces the location. 在室内 gives the location “indoors.” 在 marks being or staying at a place, while 室内 is the noun meaning “the interior/inside.” Together, 待在室内 means “stay indoors.” Example: 他们待在室内。 — “They stay indoors.” 吗 is a sentence-final yes-or-no question particle. It turns the preceding statement-like wording into a question; it does not add a separate lexical action or a numeric meaning. Compare 我们要待在室内。 — “We should stay indoors.” with 我们要待在室内吗？ — “Should we stay indoors?” Assembled from left to right, 我们 identifies the people involved, 要 presents the staying as the proposed or expected action, 待在室内 specifies remaining indoors, and final 吗 asks for a yes-or-no response. The complete utterance therefore means “Should we stay inside?”

4. 我们在这里等它过去吧。

   Let's wait here until it passes.

   我们

   we

   在这里

   here

   等

   wait

   它

   it

   过去

   pass; go past

   More detail

   我们 means “we” here: it refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. Chinese 我们 does not mark gender. It can introduce a suggestion, as in the example 我们走吧。— “Let’s go.” 在这里 places the action at the current location: 在 marks the location and 这里 means “here.” Compare 那里, “there,” for a different location. Example: 我们在这里吃饭。— “We’ll eat here.” 等 means “wait.” It can be followed by the person, thing, or event being awaited. Example: 请等我。— “Please wait for me.” 它 means “it” here and is the written Chinese pronoun normally used for a nonhuman referent. In speech, 它, 他, and 她 are all pronounced tā, although writing distinguishes them. In the supplied surrounding context, 它 is understood as the storm: the next sentence refers to the storm stopping before people can go out. 过去 means “pass” or “go past” here. In this use, 过 expresses passing and 去 adds movement onward or away; together they form the verb expression 过去. This is different from the aspect marker 过 in 看过, “have seen.” Example: 车开过去了。— “The vehicle drove past.” The sequence 等它过去 means “wait for it to pass”: 等 is followed by the subject-predicate unit 它过去. Chinese can place the awaited event directly after 等 without a separate word corresponding to “until.” 在这里 comes before 等 and establishes where the action happens. The final 吧 makes the utterance a gentle suggestion. Together, the sentence means “Let’s wait here until it passes.”

5. 暴风雨停止后我们可以出去吗？

   Can we go out after it stops?

   暴风雨

   storm

   停止

   stop

   后

   after

   我们

   we; us

   可以

   can; be able to

   出去

   go out

   吗

   question particle

   More detail

   暴风雨 means “storm,” and here it is the subject of the event that ends. It is a noun; a reusable pattern is 天气现象 + 动词, as in 暴风雨来了。 (“A storm has come.”) 停止 means “to stop” or “to cease.” In this sentence it describes the storm ending. Chinese verbs do not change form for person or number. Example: 雨停止了。 — “The rain stopped.” 后 means “after” when it follows an event or time expression. 暴风雨停止后 is therefore “after the storm stops.” A reusable pattern is 动词短语 + 后 + 主句, as in 吃饭后我们出去。 — “We go out after eating.” In this sentence, the subject of 停止 is understood as the storm, matching the fixed translation’s “it.” 我们 means “we” or “us,” depending on its role in the sentence. Here it is the subject of 可以出去, so “we” is the appropriate meaning. Chinese pronouns do not mark grammatical gender; 我们 is the plural form of 我, with 们 marking a plural human group. Example: 我们明天见。 — “We’ll meet tomorrow.” 可以 expresses permission or possibility/ability. Here, in the question 我们可以出去吗？, it asks whether going out is possible or permitted after the storm stops. A useful contrast is 不能, “cannot / must not,” as in 现在不能出去。 — “We cannot go out now.” 出去 means “to go out.” It combines 出, “out,” with 去, “go,” forming a directional verb expression. Example: 他们出去了。 — “They went out.” 吗 is a sentence-final yes-or-no question particle. It turns the preceding statement into a question without changing the main verb’s form. For example, 我们可以出去。 means “We can go out,” while 我们可以出去吗？ means “Can we go out?” Together, 暴风雨停止后 sets the time condition, “after the storm stops”; 我们可以出去 asks whether going out is possible or permitted; and final 吗 marks the whole sentence as a yes-or-no question. The complete meaning is: “Can we go out after it stops?”

6. 我们可以再看看天气，然后再决定。

   We can check the weather again and decide then.

   我们可以

   we can

   再

   again

   看看

   check; take a look

   天气

   weather

   然后

   then

   再

   then; afterward

   决定

   decide

   More detail

   我们可以 combines 我们 (“we”) with 可以 (“can; be able to / be permitted to”). In this sentence it presents the following actions as possible for “we”: checking the weather and then deciding. 可以 is placed before the verb it qualifies. For example, 我们可以等。 means “We can wait.” The first 再 appears before 看看. Here it means “again,” marking a repeated or additional check. 再 can also mean “then/afterward,” so its meaning comes from the action it accompanies and the sentence context. For example, 再看一次。 means “Look one more time.” 看看 is the reduplicated form of the verb 看, “to look at; to check.” Reduplication makes this action sound brief, casual, or exploratory here; it does not create a different base verb. 看一下 is another common way to express “take a look.” In 看看天气, the object is the weather, so the phrase means “check the weather.” 天气 is the noun “weather.” It is a general term for weather conditions, not a particular weather event by itself. For example, 天气很好。 means “The weather is very good.” 然后 links the first action to a later action and means “then; after that.” It introduces the next step in the sequence. A reusable pattern is 先……，然后……, “first …, then …,” although 先 is not present in this sentence. The second 再 is before 决定. In this position it means “then/afterward”: the deciding happens after the weather has been checked. The two occurrences of 再 therefore have different roles in this utterance: the first marks checking again, while the second marks the later step in the sequence. 决定 is the verb “to decide; to determine.” It is the base form used after 可以, and the subject understood for it is still 我们. For example, 我们决定留下。 means “We decide to stay.” Together, 我们可以再看看天气 means “we can check the weather again.” 然后再决定 adds the sequence “and then decide,” with 再 showing that the decision comes afterward. The whole utterance therefore means: “We can check the weather again and decide then.”

7. 我们可以一边等，一边泡点茶。

   We can make some tea while we wait.

   我们

   we

   可以

   can; be able to

   一边 … 一边

   while doing … and …

   等

   wait

   泡

   brew; make (tea)

   点

   some; a little

   茶

   tea

   More detail

   我们 means “we” and is the first-person plural pronoun. It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person; it does not specify whether the listener is included. The singular counterpart is 我 (“I”). Example: 我们一起走。 — “We’ll go together.” 可以 expresses permission or possibility/ability. Here, with the following actions, it means that making tea while waiting is possible or acceptable: “can.” It commonly appears before a verb phrase, as in 你可以坐。 — “You can sit.” Do not treat it as the action itself; it is the modal that applies to the actions that follow. 一边 … 一边 … is a reusable pattern for two actions happening at the same time. The two 一边 elements frame the parallel activities: 一边等 means “while waiting,” and 一边泡点茶 means “while making some tea.” Example: 她一边听音乐，一边做饭。 — “She listens to music while cooking.” 等 is the verb “to wait.” In this sentence it appears without a visible object, so the meaning is simply waiting. The same form can take an object when the thing or person being awaited is stated, for example 等朋友 — “wait for a friend.” 泡 is the verb used here for preparing tea by steeping it in water, so 泡茶 means “make or brew tea.” Its meaning depends on the noun or context: with tea, it is the usual verb for preparing it this way. Example: 我泡了一杯茶。 — “I made a cup of tea.” 点 here indicates a small or unspecified amount, rather than asserting a precise numerical count. In 泡点茶, it makes the suggestion or plan “make some tea” / “make a little tea.” This use commonly comes after a verb and before a noun, as in 吃点水果 — “eat some fruit.” 茶 is the noun “tea.” In 泡点茶, it names what is being prepared. The noun can also be used with a measure expression when a specific serving is intended, such as 一杯茶 — “a cup of tea.” Together, 我们可以 gives the modal frame “we can,” 一边等 supplies the first simultaneous action “while waiting,” and 一边泡点茶 supplies the second “while making some tea.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We can make some tea while we wait.” The sentence presents the two activities as happening concurrently; 点 keeps the amount of tea unspecified and small rather than giving an exact quantity.

8. 这样可以帮助我们打发时间。

   That will help pass the time.

   这样

   this way; like this

   可以

   can; will be able to

   帮助

   help

   我们

   us; we

   打发时间

   pass the time

   More detail

   这样 means “in this way” or “like this.” It refers to a manner or arrangement understood from the situation; it does not by itself identify a particular object. A reusable pattern is 这样 + verb phrase: 这样做很方便。“Doing it this way is convenient.” 可以 expresses that something is possible or permitted, and it can also present a practical possibility such as “can help” or “will help” in context. Here it modifies the following action, rather than meaning that someone has permission. Compare 可以 + verb: 可以等。“We can wait.” 帮助 is the verb “to help.” It can be followed by the person or thing helped, as in 帮助我们, “help us,” and then by the action or result that the help supports. In this sentence, 帮助 takes 我们 as its object and 打发时间 as the supported action. 我们 means “we” or “us.” Chinese 我们 does not grammatically mark whether the group includes the listener; the fixed translation identifies the intended object here as “us.” Its role is the people who benefit from the help. For example, 这本书帮助我们学习。“This book helps us study.” 打发时间 is a common expression meaning “pass the time” or “spend time,” especially while waiting or during an otherwise empty period. 打发 is the verb in this expression, and 时间 is “time.” The whole expression is more natural here than translating 打发 literally. For example, 听音乐可以打发时间。“Listening to music can pass the time.” Together, 这样可以帮助我们打发时间 means “Doing this in this way can help us pass the time,” naturally rendered by the fixed translation as “That will help pass the time.” The previous sentence supplies the activity being referred to: making some tea while waiting. The sentence presents that activity as a way to make the waiting period pass more easily.