About This Lesson
Use Talking About a Sore Throat to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
我的喉咙有点疼。
wǒ de hóulóng yǒudiǎn téng My throat feels a little sore.
B
试着喝点温热的东西。
shìzhe hē diǎn wēnrè de dōngxi Try drinking something warm.
A
你能给我泡点茶吗？
nǐ néng gěi wǒ pāo diǎn chá ma Could you make me some tea?
B
我现在就泡点茶。
wǒ xiànzài jiù pāo diǎn chá I'll make some now.
A
今天我的声音听起来很奇怪。
jīntiān wǒ de shēngyīn tīng qǐlái hěn qíguài My voice sounds strange today.
B
现在先少说一点吧。
xiànzài xiān shǎo shuō yìdiǎn ba Try to speak less for now.
A
我喝完后会休息。
wǒ hē wán hòu huì xiūxi I'll rest after I drink it.
B
这样应该能让你的喉咙好一点。
zhèyàng yīnggāi néng ràng nǐ de hóulóng hǎo yìdiǎn That should help your throat.Word by Word
我
In “我的喉咙”, “我” identifies the speaker as the owner: “my”. It is useful in the pattern 我 + 的 + noun when describing something belonging to you, such as a body part or personal item.
的
In “我的喉咙”, “的” links the possessor “我” to the noun “喉咙”, making “my throat”. Use possessor + 的 + noun to identify ownership when describing your body or belongings.
喉咙
“喉咙” means “throat”; here it is the body part that feels sore. You can use it when reporting a throat symptom at home or to a doctor, as in “我的喉咙有点疼”.
有
In “我的喉咙有点疼”, “有” introduces the throat’s painful condition, giving the idea that the throat has some soreness. A useful pattern is a body part + 有 + condition when reporting a symptom.
点
In “有点疼”, “点” means “a little” and makes the pain sound limited rather than severe. The pattern 有点 + description is useful when describing a mild symptom or small degree.
疼
“疼” says that something hurts or is sore; here it describes the speaker’s throat. Use it in a health conversation when telling someone that a body part is painful, as in “我的喉咙有点疼”.
试
In “试着喝点温热的东西”, “试” introduces a suggestion to attempt an action: “try”. It is useful before an action when advising someone to test whether a remedy or activity helps.
着
In “试着喝点温热的东西”, “着” connects “试” with the attempted action “喝”, giving the phrase “try drinking”. The reusable pattern is 试着 + action, especially when making a gentle suggestion.
喝
“喝” means “drink”; here it is the action being suggested for helping the sore throat. Use it before a beverage or liquid when telling someone what to drink.
温热
“温热” describes something as warm, as in “温热的东西”, meaning “something warm”. It is useful before 的东西 or another noun when recommending a warm item for comfort.
东西
In “温热的东西”, “东西” means “thing” or “something”, referring here to a warm drink or other warm item. The pattern description + 的东西 is useful when the exact object does not need to be named.
你
In “你能给我泡点茶吗”, “你” refers to the person being asked to make tea: “you”. It commonly appears at the beginning of a request before the ability or action being asked about.
能
In “你能给我泡点茶吗”, “能” asks whether the other person can or is willing to do the action. The pattern 你能 + action + 吗 is useful for making a polite request.
给
In “给我泡点茶”, “给” introduces the person who will receive the action’s benefit: “for me”. A useful pattern is 给 + person + action, as when asking someone to do something for another person.
泡
In “泡点茶”, “泡” means to prepare or steep tea. Use it with 茶 when asking someone to make tea, especially in a home situation.
茶
“茶” means “tea”; here it is the drink the speaker asks the other person to prepare. It can be used after 泡 when talking about making or steeping tea.
吗
At the end of “你能给我泡点茶吗”, “吗” turns the statement into a yes-or-no question. Put it at the end of a request when asking whether someone can do something.
现在
“现在” means “now”; here it says when the tea will be prepared. It is useful before an action to locate that action in the present time.
就
In “我现在就泡点茶”, “就” adds immediacy, showing that the speaker will prepare the tea right away. The pattern 现在就 + action is useful when reassuring someone that you will act immediately.
今天
“今天” means “today”; here it limits the unusual voice to the current day. Use it with a statement about how something is at the present date, such as a symptom or condition.
声音
“声音” means “voice” or “sound”; here it refers specifically to the speaker’s voice. It is useful when describing how your voice sounds after illness, tiredness, or another change.
听
In “听起来很奇怪”, “听” contributes the idea of hearing to the whole expression “听起来”, which means that something sounds a certain way. Use 听起来 + description when reporting how a voice or sound seems to you.
起来
In “听起来很奇怪”, “起来” completes the expression “听起来”, indicating how something seems or sounds. The reusable pattern is 听起来 + adjective or description, as when commenting on someone’s voice.
很
In “很奇怪”, “很” adds degree to the description of the voice, giving “very strange” or “quite strange” in this context. It commonly appears before an adjective when describing how something is.
奇怪
“奇怪” means “strange” or “unusual”; here it describes how the speaker’s voice sounds today. Use it after 听起来 when a sound or voice does not seem normal.
先
In “现在先少说一点”, “先” means “for now” or “first”, suggesting that the person should reduce speaking before doing anything else. It is useful when giving temporary advice about the next step.
少
In “少说一点”, “少” means “less”, modifying the amount of speaking. The pattern 少 + action is useful when advising someone to do an activity in a reduced amount.
说
“说” means “speak” or “say”; here it refers to speaking aloud. Use it after 少 when telling someone to talk less, especially when their throat or voice needs rest.
吧
At the end of “现在先少说一点吧”, “吧” softens the advice and presents it as a suggestion. It is useful at the end of a gentle recommendation to someone at home.
完
In “喝完后”, “完” shows that the action of drinking is finished before the next event. The pattern verb + 完 + 后 is useful for saying what happens after an action has been completed.
后
In “喝完后会休息”, “后” means “after” and places resting after finishing the drink. Use verb + 完 + 后 to connect a completed action with what follows.
会
In “我喝完后会休息”, “会” indicates what the speaker will do later: “will rest”. It is useful before an action when describing a future plan or expected action.
休息
“休息” means “rest”; here the speaker plans to rest after drinking the tea. Use it when talking about taking a break or reducing activity while recovering.
这样
In “这样应该能让你的喉咙好一点”, “这样” refers to the actions just discussed, such as drinking something warm and speaking less. It is useful at the start of a sentence when explaining the expected result of a method.
应该
In “应该能让你的喉咙好一点”, “应该” expresses an expectation that the suggested actions will probably help. It is useful before an expected result when giving gentle, non-certain advice.
让
In “让你的喉咙好一点”, “让” introduces the person or thing affected by the action and means “make” or “let” in the whole construction. A useful pattern is 让 + person or thing + description of the resulting condition.
好
In “好一点”, “好” describes the throat as being better or improving, and 一点 makes the improvement slight. The pattern 好一点 is useful when saying that a condition has improved somewhat.
Grammar Points
动词+完
喝完
hē wánfinish drinking
“完”放在动词后，表示动作完成。
Chinese Vocabulary
茶
noun
chá
tea
东西
noun
dōngxi
thing; something
给
prep
gěi
for; to
喝
verb
hē
to drink
喉咙
noun
hóulóng
throat
泡
verb
pāo
to make by steeping; to brew
试着
phrase
shìzhe
try to
疼
adj
téng
to hurt; sore
温热
adj
wēnrè
warm
我的
det
wǒ de
my
现在
adv
xiànzài
now
有点
adv
yǒudiǎn
a little; somewhat
Quiz
Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
throat
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喉咙a little; somewhat
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有点warm
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温热thing; something