Key sentences 8
Learning Chinese: key sentences 8
To build automatic reflexes and be able to express yourself in Chinese without having to search for words, it is beneficial to learn sentences by heart. Rather than learning the entire dialogue/text of the unit, we have selected these key sentences to optimize your learning. So you should know them well.
Don't hesitate to repeat them out loud: it helps you memorize them while working on your pronunciation and helping you internalize the structures of the Chinese language.
Then you should be able to translate them orally and in writing, first from Chinese into English, then from English into Chinese.
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大家好！ : Hello everyone!
→ Idiomatic phrase for addressing a group: pronoun 大家 + 好. Very productive: 同学们好！, 老师好！
我二十岁了。 : I am (now) twenty years old.
→ Modal particle 了 at the end of the sentence = change of state ("there it is, I have reached this age"). To be distinguished from the neutral sentence 我二十岁。
她很漂亮。 : She is beautiful.
→ Structure Subject + 很 + adjectival verb. The verb 是 is not used before an adjective in Chinese.
我有点儿喜欢她。 : I like it a little (it's a bit embarrassing…).
→ 有点儿 is placed before the verb and carries a nuance of awkwardness or negative connotation. Not to be confused with 一点儿.
他们都会说一点儿中文。 : They can all speak a little Chinese.
→ 一点儿 is placed after the verb and indicates a small quantity, with no negative connotation. Combines several structures seen: 都, 会 + verb.
我家有一只狗。 : My family has a dog.
→ Measure word 只 (zhī, 1st tone) for small animals. Not to be confused with 只 zhǐ (3rd tone) = "only."
它们都很小。 : They (the animals) are all small.
→ Pronoun 它们 to refer back to animals or objects. In speech, indistinguishable from 他们 / 她们 (all pronounced "tāmen").
我喜欢和它们玩。 : I like to play with them.
→ New meaning of 和 : "with" (preposition) before an object followed by a verb. To be distinguished from the meaning "and" (a conjunction between two nouns, seen in Unit 6).
我的爸爸妈妈人很好。 : My parents are good people.
→ Idiomatic phrase: Subject + 人很好 = "to be a good person." 人 here describes the human character, not the person literally.
他们有的是英国人，有的是美国人。 : Among them, some are English, others are American.
→ Phrase 有的…，有的… to distinguish several subgroups within a whole. Reuses 有的 (Unit 7) with an explicit collective subject.