Chinese · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12
Getting around
怎么走？Zěnme zǒu?
Ask where places are in Mandarin, say what there is nearby with 有, and understand simple directions: straight on, left, right, near and far.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask politely where a place is
- Ask if there is a metro station or a bank nearby
- Understand directions: straight on, left and right
- Say if a place is near or far
Listen
In Chengdu, Zhao Min asks an older man the way to the metro and to a bank. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Zhao Min
您好！请问，附近有地铁站吗？
Nín hǎo! Qǐngwèn, fùjìn yǒu dìtiězhàn ma?
Hello! Excuse me, is there a metro station nearby?
Older man
有。一直走，到路口往右拐。
Yǒu. Yìzhí zǒu, dào lùkǒu wǎng yòu guǎi.
Yes, there is. Go straight on, and at the crossing turn right.
Zhao Min
离这儿远吗？
Lí zhèr yuǎn ma?
Is it far from here?
Older man
不远，很近。
Bù yuǎn, hěn jìn.
No, it's close.
Zhao Min
银行呢？银行在哪儿？
Yínháng ne? Yínháng zài nǎr?
And a bank? Where's the bank?
Older man
银行在地铁站旁边。
Yínháng zài dìtiězhàn pángbiān.
The bank is next to the metro station.
Zhao Min
到路口往右拐，对吗？
Dào lùkǒu wǎng yòu guǎi, duì ma?
Turn right at the crossing, is that right?
Older man
对，往右拐，不是往左拐。
Duì, wǎng yòu guǎi, bú shì wǎng zuǒ guǎi.
Right. Turn right, not left.
Zhao Min
谢谢您！
Xièxie nín!
Thank you!
Older man
不客气。
Bú kèqi.
You're welcome.
Understand
Where is it? 在 + place
To say where something is, use (zài), “to be at”: thing + + place. (yínháng zài dìtiězhàn pángbiān), the bank is next to the metro station. Words like (pángbiān, next to) and (qiánmiàn, in front) come after the place: “metro station next to”.
To ask where, put (nǎr, where) in the place of the answer, as with every question word: (yínháng zài nǎr?). Here is (zhèr) and there is (nàr). In the south you'll also hear (nǎlǐ) for “where”.
+ place also goes before a verb to say where you do something: (wǒmen zài zhèr hē kāfēi), we drink coffee here. The place always comes before the action.
- 地铁站在哪儿？Dìtiězhàn zài nǎr?Where's the metro station?
- 银行在那儿。Yínháng zài nàr.The bank is over there.
- 地铁站在银行前面。Dìtiězhàn zài yínháng qiánmiàn.The metro station is in front of the bank.
Is there…? 有
To say that something exists somewhere, Chinese turns the sentence around: place + (yǒu) + thing. (fùjìn yǒu dìtiězhàn), literally “nearby has a metro station”: there's a metro station nearby.
Add (ma) to ask: (fùjìn yǒu yínháng ma?). To answer yes, repeat the verb: (yǒu). You'll learn how to answer no in the next chapter.
So: tells you what is in a place, and tells you where a known thing is.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| place + + thing | (fùjìn yǒu yínháng), there's a bank nearby |
| thing + + place | (yínháng zài lùkǒu), the bank is at the crossing |
Directions, near and far
Start with (qǐngwèn), “may I ask”, the polite way to stop a stranger. In the answer, (wǎng) means “towards”: (wǎng zuǒ guǎi), turn left; (wǎng yòu guǎi), turn right. (yìzhí zǒu) is “go straight on”, and (dào lùkǒu) means “when you reach the crossing”.
For distance, use (lí, from): place + + other place + (yuǎn, far) or (jìn, near). (dìtiězhàn lí zhèr hěn jìn), the metro station is close to here. Remember the (hěn) before the adjective. To check something, add (duì ma?), “is that right?”; (duì) means “right, correct”.
More in the grammar: Word order: subject, time, place, verb · 有 and 在, and location words
New words
- 请问qǐngwènexcuse me, may I ask · Use it before asking a stranger a question.
- 附近fùjìnnearby
- 有yǒuthere is, there are; to have · place + + thing: (fùjìn yǒu yínháng).
- 地铁站dìtiězhànmetro station · (dìtiě), metro; (zhàn), station.
- 一直走yìzhí zǒugo straight on · (zǒu), to walk, to go.
- 路口lùkǒucrossing, junction
- 往右拐wǎng yòu guǎiturn right
- 离lífrom (for distance) · (lí zhèr yuǎn ma?), Is it far from here?
- 远yuǎnfar · (bù yuǎn), not far.
- 近jìnnear, close
- 在哪儿zài nǎrwhere is…? · Comes after the thing: (yínháng zài nǎr?)
- 银行yínhángbank
- 旁边pángbiānnext to, beside · After the place: (yínháng pángbiān), next to the bank.
- 往左拐wǎng zuǒ guǎiturn left
Practise
1.You want to know if there's a bank nearby. What do you ask?
2.Put the words in order to ask where the bank is.
Tap the words below in the right order.Where's the bank?
3.Match the directions.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.How do you say “The bank is next to the metro station”?
5.Put the words in order, starting with (dìtiězhàn): the metro station is close to here.
Tap the words below in the right order.The metro station is close to here.
6.Put the words in order: we drink coffee here. Remember that the place comes before the verb.
Tap the words below in the right order.We drink coffee here.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
请问，地铁站在哪儿？
Qǐngwèn, dìtiězhàn zài nǎr?
Excuse me, where's the metro station?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.