Deciding What to Do Next | Learn Chinese in English

Sentence explanations

1. 我们现在该做什么？

   What should we do now?

   我们

   we; us

   现在

   now

   该

   should; be supposed to

   做

   do

   什么

   what

   More detail

   我们 means “we/us” here: it refers to the speaker together with at least one other participant. Chinese 我们 does not mark gender, and its inclusive or exclusive scope depends on context; this sentence only establishes the group that is to act. 现在 means “now” and places the action at the present time. It can also be placed elsewhere in a Chinese sentence when the intended focus changes, but here it comes before the modal and verb to set the time for the question. 该 is a modal meaning “should” or “be due to.” In 我们现在该做什么, it asks which action is appropriate or expected at this point. It is not the verb “do”; 做 carries that lexical meaning. A useful pattern is 该 + verb, as in 你该休息了。 — “You should rest now.” 做 means “do” here. It is the basic verb form; Chinese verbs do not change form for person or number, so the same 做 can follow subjects such as 我, 你, or 他们. For example, 我们做练习。 means “We do exercises.” 什么 means “what.” In this sentence, after 做, it asks what action or activity the group should do, forming 做什么 — “do what” or, naturally in English, “what to do.” For example, 你想做什么？ means “What do you want to do?” The pattern is subject + time + modal + verb + question word: 我们 + 现在 + 该 + 做 + 什么. Together, these parts mean “What should we do now?” The question asks for an appropriate action for the group at the present time; it does not itself specify what that action will be.

2. 我们先从短清单开始吧。

   Let's start with the short list.

   我们

   we; us

   先

   first

   从

   from

   短

   short

   清单

   list

   开始吧

   let’s start

   More detail

   我们 means “we” or “us”: it refers to the speaker together with at least one other participant. In this sentence, it supplies the subject for the suggested action. Chinese 我们 does not itself mark gender or grammatical case. Example: 我们一起学习。— “We study together.” 先 means “first” or “beforehand” in a sequence. It places the action before a later action, without by itself saying exactly when either action happens. Example: 你先休息。— “You rest first.” 从 marks the starting point in the pattern 从 A 开始, “start from A.” Here, 从 introduces the item used as the starting point. Example: 我们从第一课开始。— “We start with the first lesson.” 短 means “short,” describing 清单 here. Its comparison forms are shorter: 更短, and shortest: 最短. Its opposite is 长, “long.” Example: 这条路很短。— “This road is short.” 清单 means “list” or “checklist.” It is a noun for an organized set of items; it does not itself specify what kind of items are listed. Example: 请看购物清单。— “Please look at the shopping list.” 开始吧 combines 开始, “to start,” with 吧. 开始 is the verb carrying the action, and 吧 makes the utterance a suggestion or gentle proposal here. It does not encode the subject by itself; 我们 provides the “we.” Example: 现在开始吧。— “Let’s start now.” Together, 从短清单开始 means “start with the short list”: 从 marks the starting point, while 短 modifies 清单. 先 places this starting action first in the sequence, and 我们 plus 开始吧 presents it as a suggestion for the group. The whole utterance therefore means, “Let’s start with the short list.”

3. 我们要不要先完成清单，再查看文件？

   Should we finish it before reviewing the file?

   我们

   we

   要不要

   shall we…?

   先

   first

   完成

   complete; finish

   清单

   list; checklist

   再

   then

   查看

   review; check

   文件

   file; document

   More detail

   我们 means “we”: it refers to the speaker together with at least one other person, rather than to the speaker alone. Mandarin 我们 does not mark gender or grammatical case. Example: 我们开始。—“We’ll start.” 要不要 is a reusable yes/no question pattern: 要 + 不要, literally contrasting “want/need to” with “not want/need to.” Here it asks whether the group should do the proposed action. It is not the same as a simple statement with 要; compare 要完成清单。—“We need/want to finish the list.” In the question, the action after 要不要 is understood from the following sequence. 先 means “first” or “before the next step.” It places 完成清单 ahead of the later action. Example: 先吃饭，再工作。—“Eat first, then work.” 完成 means “to complete” or “to finish.” Its base form does not change for person or number in Mandarin. 完成清单 means “finish the list,” while 完成工作 can mean “finish the work.” 清单 means “list” or “checklist.” It is a noun and can be modified directly, as in 短清单 (“short list”) in the preceding context. Here the fixed translation’s “it” refers to the task represented by this list, but the Chinese noun itself is explicitly 清单. 再 means “then” or “after that.” In the pattern 先……，再……, it marks the later step: do the first action, and then do the second one. Example: 先保存，再关闭文件。—“Save first, then close the file.” 查看 means “to check,” “to look over,” or “to review.” It is a verb formed as one lexical unit; the observed form does not show tense or subject agreement. Example: 请查看文件。—“Please review the file.” 文件 means “file” or “document.” It is a noun. In 查看文件, it is the object of 查看: the thing being reviewed. Together, 要不要 asks for a decision about the proposed sequence. 先完成清单 means “first finish the list,” and 再查看文件 means “then review the file.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Should we finish the list first, and then review the file?” The question proposes that order without asserting that either action has already happened.

4. 如果我们分开做，就能很快完成。

   We can get through it quickly if we split the work.

   如果 … 就

   if ..., then ...

   我们

   we; us

   分开

   separately; apart

   做

   do

   能

   can; be able to

   很快

   very quickly

   完成

   finish; complete

   More detail

   如果 … 就 … sets up a condition and its result. In this sentence, 如果 introduces 我们分开做, and 就 introduces the consequence 能很快完成. This is a reusable pattern: 如果 A，就 B = “if A, then B.” Example: 如果下雨，我们就不出门。 — “If it rains, we won’t go out.” 我们 means “we” or “us.” It is the first-person plural pronoun, referring here to the speakers as a group. Chinese pronouns do not change for grammatical case, so the same form can be used as subject or object. Example: 我们一起学习。 — “We study together.” 分开 means “separately” or “apart” here. It describes separating the work or doing it in separate parts; it is not itself the word for “work.” The following 做 supplies the action: 分开做 means “do [it] separately” or, in this context, “split the work and do it separately.” Example: 这两件事可以分开做。 — “These two things can be done separately.” 做 is the verb “to do” or “to make.” Here it has an understood object: the work being divided. Chinese verbs do not change form for person or number. Example: 我来做这部分。 — “I’ll do this part.” 能 is a modal verb meaning “can” or “be able to.” Before another verb, it expresses ability or a possible result: 能完成 means “can complete.” It is different from 要, which commonly expresses “will,” “need to,” or “be going to” depending on context. Example: 我们能按时完成。 — “We can finish on time.” 很快 means “very quickly” here. 很 modifies 快, and the whole unit modifies the completion: the completion will happen quickly. 快 can also mean “fast” or “quick” in other contexts, while 很快 commonly describes an action or event happening soon or quickly. Example: 他很快回答了。 — “He answered quickly.” 完成 means “to complete” or “to finish.” It is a verb describing reaching the end of a task; the object is not stated in this sentence, but the fixed translation identifies it as the work or task under discussion. Chinese does not mark this verb for past or present tense by changing its form. Example: 我们完成了第一部分。 — “We completed the first part.” Together, 如果我们分开做 means “if we split the work and do it separately.” 就能很快完成 means “then we can complete it quickly.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We can get through it quickly if we split the work.”

5. 那我来做第一部分。

   Then I'll take the first part.

   那

   then; in that case

   我来

   I’ll take care of it

   做

   do; make

   第一

   first

   部分

   part; portion

   More detail

   那 means “then” or “in that case” here. It links the speaker’s decision to the situation just established. In other contexts, 那 can also refer to something as “that,” but that is not its function in this utterance. 我来 is a useful pattern meaning “I’ll handle it” or “I’ll do it.” 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” 来 literally means “come,” but in this pattern it marks the speaker as taking responsibility for the action that follows. Example: 我来解释。 — “I’ll explain.” 做 means “do” or “make.” It is a general-purpose verb whose exact English translation depends on what follows. Here, 做 takes 第一部分 as its object: the speaker will do the first part. Example: 你做这个。 — “You do this.” 第一 means “first.” 第 marks an ordinal, and 一 is the number “one”; together they form the ordinal “first.” This differs from 一, which by itself means “one,” not “first.” Example: 第一课 — “the first lesson.” 部分 is a noun meaning “part,” “portion,” or “section.” It can refer to one division of a larger task or whole. Example: 这是重要的部分。 — “This is an important part.” Together, 那 + 我来 gives “Then I’ll handle it,” and 做第一部分 specifies what the speaker will handle: “do the first part.” The complete utterance means “Then I’ll take the first part.”

6. 剩下的我来做。

   I'll handle the rest.

   剩下的

   the rest; what remains

   我来做

   I’ll handle it

   More detail

   剩下的 means “the rest” or “what remains.” In this sentence, 剩下 describes what is left, and the final 的 turns that description into a noun-like phrase: “the thing(s) that remain.” This pattern is reusable: 需要的 can mean “what is needed,” and 重要的 can mean “the important thing(s).” 我来做 means “I’ll do it” or “I’ll handle it.” 我 is the first-person pronoun “I.” 来 literally means “come,” but in this pattern it presents the speaker as stepping forward to carry out the action; it is not a statement that the speaker is physically coming. 做 is the verb “do” or “handle.” Chinese verbs do not change form for this future intention: 我做 can mean “I do,” “I’m doing,” or, with context, “I’ll do,” while 我来做 more clearly conveys “I’ll take responsibility for doing it.” Together, 剩下的 identifies the part that remains, and 我来做 assigns the action to the speaker: “I’ll handle the rest.”

7. 之后，我们可以检查不清楚的地方。

   After that, we can review anything unclear.

   之后

   after that

   我们可以

   we can

   检查

   check; review

   不清楚

   unclear

   地方

   place; part

   More detail

   之后 means “after that” and places the action later than an understood event or point. It can follow a noun or event phrase as well: 会议之后 means “after the meeting.” In this sentence, it introduces the later step without specifying a new time expression. 我们可以 combines 我们 (“we”) with 可以, which expresses possibility or permission depending on context. Here, the fixed translation supports “we can” as a possible action: “we are able to / may.” Chinese verbs do not change form for person or number, so 可以 remains the same with other subjects, such as 我可以 (“I can”) or 他们可以 (“they can”). 检查 is a verb meaning “to check” or “to review.” It can be used for examining information, work, or a problem. Example: 请检查答案。 — “Please check the answer.” 不清楚 means “unclear” here. 不 negates 清楚, which means “clear” or “clearly understood.” This is a useful Chinese pattern: 不 + an adjective can describe a negative state, as in 不方便 (“inconvenient”) or 不完整 (“incomplete”). 不清楚 can describe information that is not clear, rather than necessarily describing a person’s ability to see. 地方 literally means “place,” but in 不清楚的地方 it refers more broadly to a part, point, or aspect that is unclear. The structure 不清楚的地方 is a noun phrase: 不清楚 describes 地方 through 的. For example, 文章中有几个难懂的地方。 means “There are several difficult-to-understand parts in the article.” Together, 之后 sets the later time, 我们可以 says that the speakers can take the action, and 检查不清楚的地方 means “review the parts that are unclear.” The complete utterance therefore means: “After that, we can review anything unclear.”

8. 清单完成后，我会打开文件。

   I'll open the file when the list is done.

   清单

   list

   完成后

   after completion

   我会

   I will

   打开

   open

   文件

   file

   More detail

   清单 means “list.” It is a noun for an organized list or inventory. Example: 购物清单 means “shopping list.” 完成后 means “after completion.” 完成 means “complete” or “finish,” and 后 marks the time after an event. The reusable pattern X 后 means “after X”: 吃饭后 means “after eating.” In this sentence, 清单完成后 means “after the list is complete.” 我会 means “I will.” 我 is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” 会 is placed before a verb and here marks the speaker’s future action. The reusable pattern is 我会 + verb, as in 我会回来 (“I will come back”). 打开 means “open.” It is a common verb for opening something; treat the whole form 打开 as the useful reusable unit rather than assigning a separate result-oriented meaning to 打. Example: 请打开门 means “Please open the door.” 文件 means “file,” here referring to a stored document or computer file. It is a noun. 文件夹 means “folder,” a related but different item. Together, 清单完成后 sets the time—after the list is complete—and 我会打开文件 states the speaker’s future action. The whole utterance means: “I’ll open the file when the list is done.”