Key sentences 6
Learning Chinese: key sentences 6
To build automatic reflexes and be able to express yourself in Chinese without searching 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 need to know them well.
Don't hesitate to repeat them out loud: this helps memorize them while working on pronunciation and helping you internalize the structures of the Chinese language.
Then you must be able to translate them orally and in writing, first from Chinese to English, then from English to Chinese.
Show or hide the elements by clicking the following buttons:
你家有几口人？ : How many people are there in your family?
→ Emblematic sentence of the unit: the classifier 口 ("mouth") is specific to the family context. Note also the omission of 的 in 你家.
我家有四口人。 : My family has four people.
→ Standard answer: 家 + 有 + number + 口 + 人. Symmetrical construction to the question.
你有几个孩子？ : How many children do you have?
→ General classifier 个 inserted between the question word 几 and the noun 孩子.
我有两个孩子。 : I have two children.
→ Use of 两 (and not 二) before a classifier. Rule to memorize: 两 + classifier + noun.
一个女儿和一个儿子。 : A daughter and a son.
→ The conjunction 和 ("and") connects nouns or noun phrases, never verbal clauses.
我没有弟弟。 : I don't have a younger brother.
→ Negation of 有 = 没有 (never 不有). Rule you absolutely must memorize.
你没有弟弟吗？ : You don't have a younger brother?
→ Question about the negation: structure 没有 + noun + 吗. Idiomatic phrasing to check for an absence.
他是我哥哥。 : This is my elder brother.
→ Natural omission of 的 with close kinship ties: we say 我哥哥 rather than 我的哥哥.
我的爸爸、妈妈和我。 : My dad, my mom and me.
→ Chinese enumeration: enumeration comma 、 between the items, and 和 only before the last one.
我的家人很多。 : My relatives are numerous.
→ Reuse of the adjectival verb 多 (Unit 4) with the new word 家人. Construction Subject + 很 + adjectival verb.