Deciding Which Task to Do First | Learn Chinese in English

About This Lesson

Use Deciding Which Task to Do First to practice Chinese conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

我今天早上有太多任务。

Wǒ jīntiān zǎoshang yǒu tài duō rènwu. I have too many tasks this morning.

先按优先顺序把它们列出来。

Xiān àn yōuxiān shùnxù bǎ tāmen liè chūlái. List them by priority first.

这封邮件很紧急。

Zhè fēng yóujiàn hěn jǐnjí. This email is urgent.

这份报告很重要。

Zhè fèn bàogào hěn zhòngyào. The report is important.

报告什么时候截止？

Bàogào shénme shíhou jiézhǐ? When is the report deadline?

它明天下午要交。

Tā míngtiān xiàwǔ yào jiāo. It is due tomorrow afternoon.

那就先回复这封紧急邮件。

Nà jiù xiān huífù zhè fēng jǐnjí yóujiàn. Then answer the urgent email first.

之后我会做这份报告。

Zhīhòu wǒ huì zuò zhè fèn bàogào. After that I will work on the report.

这样应该能让你感觉没那么有压力。

Zhèyàng yīnggāi néng ràng nǐ gǎnjué méi nàme yǒu yālì. That should help you feel less stressed.

Word by Word

我 “我” means “I” or “me”; here it is the speaker who has the tasks. It commonly appears before the action or situation being described, as in “我今天早上有太多任务”。

今天 “今天” means “today” and places the situation on the current day. In “我今天早上有太多任务”, it comes before “早上” to specify when the tasks are present.

早上 “早上” means “morning”; here it refers to the morning of today. “今天早上” is a common time expression for describing plans or events before work begins.

有 “有” means “have” here: the speaker has too many tasks. The pattern “我……有……” is useful for saying that someone has something, as in “我今天早上有太多任务”。

太 “太” shows that something exceeds a suitable or comfortable amount; here it is part of “太多任务”. It comes before “多” to express an excessive number of tasks.

多 “多” means “many” here and describes the number of tasks. “太多” is a common pattern for saying that there is more of something than is manageable, as in “太多任务”。

任务 “任务” means “task” or “work assignment”; here it refers to the pieces of work the speaker must handle. It can follow a quantity expression, as in “太多任务”。

先 “先” means “first” and shows that one action should happen before another. In this lesson it is used for prioritizing work, as in “先按优先顺序把它们列出来” and “先回复这封紧急邮件”。

按 “按” means “according to” or “by” here. The pattern “按优先顺序” tells someone to organize an action according to priority, which is useful when arranging tasks.

优先 “优先” expresses priority in “优先顺序”. Here it identifies the basis for deciding which tasks should be handled earlier.

顺序 “顺序” means “order” or “sequence”; in “优先顺序” it means the order based on priority. This expression is useful when listing several tasks in the order they should be done.

把 “把” marks “它们” as the object that will be handled in “把它们列出来”. It is useful when the sentence focuses on what is done to a specific object before the action is completed.

它们 “它们” means “them” and refers back to the tasks. In “把它们列出来”, it is placed before the verb because the tasks are the objects being listed.

列 “列” means “list” here: the tasks should be put into an ordered list. In “列出来”, it is followed by “出来” to show the result of making the list visible or complete.

出来 “出来” indicates the result of listing in “列出来”, meaning that the tasks are listed out. It contributes to the completed result of “列出来” rather than meaning simply “out” on its own.

这 “这” means “this” and points to the particular email being discussed. It comes before the measure word and noun in “这封邮件”。

封 “封” is the measure word used here for an email or letter. The pattern “这封邮件” identifies one particular email.

邮件 “邮件” means “email”; here it is the message that is urgent and should be answered first. It can be used with the measure word “封”, as in “这封邮件”。

很 “很” appears before “紧急” in “很紧急” to form the description “is urgent”. This is a common way to make an adjective phrase the predicate of a sentence, as in “这封邮件很紧急”。

紧急 “紧急” means “urgent”; here it describes the email that needs attention first. “紧急邮件” is a useful work-related combination, and the dialogue uses it in “这封紧急邮件”。

份 “份” is the measure word used here for a report or document. The phrase “这份报告” identifies one particular report.

报告 “报告” means “report”; here it is the important piece of work due tomorrow afternoon. It can be counted with “份”, as in “这份报告”。

重要 “重要” means “important”; here it describes the report’s significance. It follows “很” in “这份报告很重要”, a common pattern for describing a noun.

什么时候 “什么时候” means “when” and asks for the time of an event or deadline. In “报告什么时候截止？”, it asks when the report is due.

截止 “截止” means that a deadline ends or that something is due by a certain time. In “报告什么时候截止？”, it is used to ask when submissions for the report must finish.

它 “它” means “it” and refers back to the report. In “它明天下午要交”, it keeps the report as the topic without repeating “报告”。

明天 “明天” means “tomorrow” and places the deadline on the following day. It comes before “下午” in “明天下午” to specify the time more precisely.

下午 “下午” means “afternoon”; here it specifies when the report must be submitted. “明天下午” is a common time phrase for a deadline.

要 “要” in “要交” shows that the report needs to be submitted by the stated time. It comes before the action “交” to express a required or due action.

交 “交” means “submit” or “hand in”; here it describes handing in the report. The pattern “要交” is useful for saying that work must be submitted.

那 “那” means “then” or “in that case” here, referring to the information that the report is due tomorrow afternoon. It introduces the decision that follows from that information.

就 “就” marks the resulting action in “那就先回复这封紧急邮件”. Together, “那就” means “then, in that case”, and it is useful when making a decision based on what was just said.

回复 “回复” means “reply to” here, specifically replying to the email. It can be followed by the thing being answered, as in “回复这封紧急邮件”。

之后 “之后” means “after that” and refers to the action of answering the urgent email. It commonly comes before the next action, as in “之后我会做这份报告”。

会 “会” means “will” here and presents the speaker’s planned next action. It comes before “做” in “我会做这份报告”, a useful pattern for describing a future plan.

做 “做” means “do” or “work on” here, referring to working on the report. The expression “做这份报告” gives the object of the work directly after the verb.

这样 “这样” means “this way” and refers to the plan of answering the urgent email before working on the report. It is useful for evaluating or describing the result of a proposed way of doing something.

应该 “应该” means “should” here and expresses the speaker’s expectation that the plan will have a helpful result. The pattern “应该能……” is useful for saying that a result is likely or expected.

能 “能” means “can” or “be able to” here, introducing the possible effect of the plan. In “应该能让你感觉没那么有压力”, it comes before “让” to show that the plan can produce that effect.

让 “让” means “make” or “cause someone to” here. The pattern “让你感觉……” describes causing another person to feel a certain way.

你 “你” means “you” and refers to the person whose stress may decrease. In “让你感觉没那么有压力”, it is the person affected by the action.

感觉 “感觉” means “feel” here and introduces the person’s subjective experience. It can be followed by a description of that feeling, as in “感觉没那么有压力”。

没 “没” means “not” here and appears in “没那么有压力” to say that the pressure is not at that level. It reduces the degree of the following expression rather than negating a past event.

那么 “那么” means “that much” or “so” here and describes the degree of pressure. Together, “没那么有压力” means feeling less stressed than before.

压力 “压力” means “stress” or “pressure”; here it refers to the work-related pressure the person feels. The phrase “有压力” describes being under pressure, and “没那么有压力” describes having less of it.

Grammar Points

先 + 动词短语

先按优先顺序列出来

Xiān àn yōuxiān shùnxù liè chūlái

List them by priority first.

先放在动作前，表示先做某事或提前做某事。

要 + 动词

明天下午要交

Míngtiān xiàwǔ yào jiāo

It must be submitted tomorrow afternoon.

要放在动词前，表示必须做某事或某事按计划将要发生。

Chinese Vocabulary

按优先顺序 phrase

àn yōuxiān shùnxù by priority

报告 noun

bàogào report

截止 verb

jiézhǐ to be due; to reach the deadline

紧急 adj

jǐnjí urgent

列出来 verb

liè chūlái list them; write them out

明天下午 phrase

míngtiān xiàwǔ tomorrow afternoon

任务 noun

rènwu task

什么时候 pron

shénme shíhou when

先 adv

xiān first; beforehand

邮件 noun

yóujiàn email

早上 noun

zǎoshang morning

重要 adj

zhòngyào important

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

by priority

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按优先顺序

when

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什么时候

tomorrow afternoon

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明天下午

report

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报告