Walking as a Hobby | Learn Chinese in English

Chinese lesson set in a contemporary Shanghai everyday setting: In a free-time conversation, two adults talk about walking in a park and going there together..

EN → ZH / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Walking as a Hobby to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

你的爱好是散步吗？

nǐ de àihào shì sànbù ma Is walking your hobby?
B

我空闲时喜欢散步。

wǒ kòngxián shí xǐhuān sànbù I like going for walks in my free time.
A

你通常去哪里？

nǐ tōngcháng qù nǎlǐ Where do you usually go?
B

我在公园散步。

wǒ zài gōngyuán sànbù I walk in the park.
A

路线长吗？

lùxiàn cháng ma Is the route long?
B

路很短，走起来很轻松。

lù hěn duǎn, zǒu qǐlái hěn qīngsōng It is a short, easy walk.
A

听起来很让人放松。

tīng qǐlái hěn ràng rén fàngsōng That sounds relaxing.
B

我们可以一起去那里。

wǒmen kěyǐ yìqǐ qù nàlǐ We can go there together.

Word by Word

你 “你” means “you” in “你的爱好是散步吗？”. Together with “的”, it identifies the listener as the person whose hobby is being discussed. A reusable pattern is “你喜欢……吗？”, when asking someone about their preferences.
的 “的” marks possession in “你的爱好”, meaning “your hobby”. It links “你” to the thing that belongs to or is associated with that person. A reusable pattern is “我的……” or “你的……”, followed by a noun.
爱好 “爱好” means “hobby” in “你的爱好是散步吗？”. Here it names an activity that someone enjoys regularly. You can reuse it before “是” when identifying a hobby, as in “我的爱好是……”. Often, it is used with an activity after “是”.
是 “是” links the subject and its description in “你的爱好是散步吗？”, asking whether walking is the listener’s hobby. It is used here to identify one thing as another. A reusable pattern is “……是……吗？”, for a yes-no identification question.
散步 “散步” means “to take a walk” or “walking” in “你的爱好是散步吗？” and “我空闲时喜欢散步”. In the first sentence it names the hobby, and in the second it follows “喜欢” as the activity the speaker enjoys. A reusable pattern is “喜欢散步”, when saying that you enjoy walking.
吗 “吗” marks the sentence as a yes-no question in “你的爱好是散步吗？”. It is placed at the end of the question. A reusable pattern is to add “吗” after a statement when asking for a yes-or-no answer.
我 “我” means “I” or “me” in “我空闲时喜欢散步” and “我在公园散步”. It identifies the speaker as the person who enjoys walking and walks in the park. A reusable pattern is “我喜欢……”, when stating your own preference.
空闲 “空闲” means “free” or “unoccupied” in “我空闲时喜欢散步”. It describes the time when the speaker is not busy. It commonly appears before “时” in “空闲时”, meaning “when free”; a new example is “空闲时看书” (“read when free”).
时 “时” means “when” or “at the time of” in “空闲时”. It turns the preceding time expression into the setting for what follows. A reusable pattern is “……时……”, such as “回家时……” for an action that happens when returning home.
喜欢 “喜欢” means “like” in “我空闲时喜欢散步”. It introduces the activity that the speaker enjoys, here “散步”. A reusable pattern is “喜欢+activity”, such as the dialogue form “喜欢散步”.
通常 “通常” means “usually” in “你通常去哪里？”. It asks about the place the listener generally goes to, rather than a single exceptional visit. It commonly comes before the verb, as in “通常去……”. A new example is “我通常在家吃饭” (“I usually eat at home”).
去 “去” means “go” in “你通常去哪里？” and asks about going to a place. Here it is followed by “哪里”, forming a question about the destination. A reusable pattern is “去+place”, such as the dialogue form “去那里”.
哪里 “哪里” means “where” in “你通常去哪里？”. It occupies the place position after “去” and asks for the destination. A reusable pattern is “去哪里？”, when asking where someone goes.
在 “在” marks the location of the activity in “我在公园散步”. It shows that the walking takes place at the park. A reusable pattern is “在+place+verb”, such as “在公园散步”.
公园 “公园” means “park” in “我在公园散步”. It is the place introduced by “在” and is where the speaker walks. A reusable pattern is “在公园……”, for an activity carried out in a park.
路线 “路线” means “route” in “路线长吗？”. It is the path being described and asked about in terms of length. A reusable pattern is “路线+description”, when describing a route.
长 “长” means “long” in “路线长吗？”. It describes the length of the route in a yes-no question. A reusable pattern is “……长吗？”, when asking whether something is long.
路 “路” means “path” or “route” in “路很短，走起来很轻松”. It refers to the walking route mentioned in the previous question. A reusable pattern is “路很……”, when describing a path.
很 “很” appears in “路很短” to make the descriptive statement sound natural and indicate a degree of shortness. It comes before the adjective “短”. A reusable pattern is “很+description”, such as the dialogue form “很短”.
短 “短” means “short” in “路很短”. It describes the length of the path. A reusable pattern is “路很短”, when saying that a route does not cover much distance.
走 “走” means “walk” in “走起来很轻松”. It is the activity being evaluated in terms of how it feels to do it. Here it combines with “起来” to describe the experience of walking the route. A reusable pattern is “走起来+description”.
起来 In “走起来很轻松”, “起来” helps describe how the activity feels or turns out when experienced. Together, “走起来” means “when walking it” in this context, while “很轻松” gives the resulting impression. A reusable pattern is “verb+起来+description”, as in the dialogue form “走起来很轻松”.
轻松 “轻松” means “easy” or “relaxed” in “走起来很轻松”. It describes the experience of walking the short route, not the route as an object by itself. A reusable pattern is “做起来很轻松”, when an activity feels easy to do.
听 In “听起来很让人放松”, “听” contributes the idea of hearing or receiving an impression from what was said. Together with “起来”, the expression means “sounds” or “seems from what I hear”. A reusable pattern is “听起来+description”, when reacting to information.
让 “让” means “make” or “cause” in “听起来很让人放松”. It introduces the person who experiences the effect and the result that follows. A reusable pattern is “让人+description”, when saying that something has an effect on people.
人 “人” means “people” or “a person” in “让人放松”. Within this expression, it refers generally to the person experiencing the relaxing effect. The reusable pattern “让人+verb or description” can describe what something causes people to feel or do.
放松 “放松” means “relax” or “feel relaxed” in “听起来很让人放松”. It is the effect that the walking route is said to cause people to experience. A reusable pattern is “让人放松”, when describing something calming.
我们 “我们” means “we” or “us” in “我们可以一起去那里”. It refers to the two speakers as a group. A reusable pattern is “我们可以……”, when suggesting a possible shared action.
可以 “可以” means “can” or “be able to” in “我们可以一起去那里”. It indicates that going there together is possible or permitted. It commonly comes before the verb, as in “可以去……”. A new example is “我可以帮你” (“I can help you”).
一起 “一起” means “together” in “我们可以一起去那里”. It shows that the speakers will do the action as a group rather than separately. It commonly appears before the verb, as in “一起去”.
那里 “那里” means “there” in “我们可以一起去那里”. It refers to the place being discussed, the park or walking location. A reusable pattern is “去那里”, when saying that someone will go to that place.

Grammar Points

听起来 + 形容词

听起来很轻松。

tīng qǐlái hěn qīngsōng

It sounds relaxing.

听起来后面接形容词，用来表达对某事的听觉印象。

一起 + 动词

一起散步。

yìqǐ sànbù

Take a walk together.

一起放在动词前，表示和别人共同进行这个动作。

Chinese Vocabulary

爱好 noun
àihào hobby

你的爱好是散步吗?

短 adj
duǎn short

路很短,走起来很轻松。

放松 verb
fàngsōng to relax; relaxing

听起来很让人放松。

公园 noun
gōngyuán park

我在公园散步。

空闲 noun
kòngxián free time; free

我空闲时喜欢散步。

路线 noun
lùxiàn route

路线长吗?

哪里 pron
nǎlǐ where

你通常去哪里?

轻松 adj
qīngsōng easy; relaxed

路很短,走起来很轻松。

散步 verb
sànbù to take a walk; walking

我空闲时喜欢散步。

听起来 phrase
tīng qǐlái to sound

听起来很让人放松。

通常 adv
tōngcháng usually

你通常去哪里?

长 adj
cháng long

路线长吗?

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

usually

Show Answer通常

free time; free

Show Answer空闲

park

Show Answer公园

to relax; relaxing

Show Answer放松