Key sentences 9
Learning Chinese: key sentences 9
To build reflexes and be able to express yourself in Chinese without having to search for words, it is helpful 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. You should therefore know them well.
Don’t hesitate to repeat them aloud: this helps memorize them while working on 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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你什么时候回家？ : When do you go home?
→ Emblematic sentence: the question word 什么时候 placed between the subject and the verb (in the same place as the answer word).
我十二月去看他。 : I'll go see him in December.
→ The point-in-time complement (十二月) is placed before the verb. No conjugation: it is the time word that marks the future.
他在北京。 : He is in Beijing.
→ To say “to be somewhere”, you use 在 and not 是. Structure: Subject + 在 + place.
我在中国学中文。 : I study Chinese in China.
→ Adverbial of place introduced by 在 + place, placed before the action verb. General rule: the scene before the action.
你今年会回法国吗？ : Will you go back to Britain this year?
→ New use of 会 : marks the predictable future (“is going to happen”). Combines with the time complement 今年 before the verb.
我学汉语三年了。 : I have been learning Chinese for three years.
→ Duration is placed after the verb. Combined with the 了 final (change of situation), it gives the meaning of “for/since”.
你学汉语几年了？ : For how many years have you been studying Chinese?
→ Corresponding question: 几 in place of the number, in the same position in the structure. A key turn of phrase for talking about your learning journey.
我回去半个月。 : I'm going home for half a month.
→ Compound directional 回去 (“to return, moving away from the speaker”) + duration. 半 placed before the classifier = “half”.
你几号回来？ : What day are you coming back?
→ 号 (spoken) instead of 日 (written) for the day of the month. Directional 回来 = “to come back toward the speaker”.
我明年一月五日回来。 : I'll come back on January 5 next year.
→ Complete date: order from most general to most specific (year → month → day), placed before the action verb.