Chinese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 12 of 12
A weekend away
周末去旅行Zhōumò qù lǚxíng
Review A2 Chinese in one conversation: tell the story of a weekend trip with 了 and 过, compare and describe, and give advice for someone else's trip.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of a trip with 了 (le), 过 (guo) and 得 (de)
- Say you did two things at once with 一边…一边… (yìbiān… yìbiān…)
- Plan a trip and give advice with 建议 (jiànyì), 应该 (yīnggāi) and 别 (bié)
Listen
Back at work in Shanghai on Monday, Xie Fang asks her colleague Song Jie about her weekend on Huangshan, the Yellow Mountain. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Xie Fang
宋洁，周末过得怎么样？你去黄山旅行了吗？
Sòng Jié, zhōumò guò de zěnmeyàng? Nǐ qù Huángshān lǚxíng le ma?
Song Jie, how was your weekend? Did you go on your trip to Huangshan?
Song Jie
去了！黄山的风景太美了，比照片上美多了。
Qù le! Huángshān de fēngjǐng tài měi le, bǐ zhàopiàn shang měi duō le.
Yes. The scenery on Huangshan is so beautiful, much more beautiful than in photos.
Xie Fang
你以前去过吗？
Nǐ yǐqián qùguo ma?
Had you been there before?
Song Jie
没去过，这是第一次。星期六我们早上四点起床，去看日出。
Méi qùguo, zhè shì dì-yī cì. Xīngqīliù wǒmen zǎoshang sì diǎn qǐchuáng, qù kàn rìchū.
No, it was my first time. On Saturday we got up at four in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Xie Fang
四点？太早了！你们爬山了吗？
Sì diǎn? Tài zǎo le! Nǐmen páshān le ma?
Four? That's so early. Did you climb up?
Song Jie
上山我们坐了缆车，排队排了一个小时！下山的时候，我们一边走一边拍照。
Shàng shān wǒmen zuòle lǎnchē, páiduì páile yí ge xiǎoshí! Xià shān de shíhou, wǒmen yìbiān zǒu yìbiān pāizhào.
We took the cable car up and queued for an hour. On the way down we walked and took photos as we went.
Xie Fang
你照片拍得很好。我也想去，值得去吗？
Nǐ zhàopiàn pāi de hěn hǎo. Wǒ yě xiǎng qù, zhíde qù ma?
Your photos are really good. I'd like to go too. Is it worth it?
Song Jie
很值得。我建议你先看看攻略。
Hěn zhíde. Wǒ jiànyì nǐ xiān kànkan gōnglüè.
Definitely. I suggest you read a travel guide first.
Xie Fang
好。我打算下个月去。你觉得应该在山上住一晚吗？
Hǎo. Wǒ dǎsuan xià ge yuè qù. Nǐ juéde yīnggāi zài shān shang zhù yì wǎn ma?
OK. I'm planning to go next month. Do you think I should stay a night on the mountain?
Song Jie
如果你想看日出，就在山上住一晚吧。山上的酒店很贵，要早点儿预订。
Rúguǒ nǐ xiǎng kàn rìchū, jiù zài shān shang zhù yì wǎn ba. Shān shang de jiǔdiàn hěn guì, yào zǎo diǎnr yùdìng.
If you want to see the sunrise, stay a night up there. The hotels on the mountain are expensive, so book early.
Xie Fang
还有别的建议吗？
Hái yǒu bié de jiànyì ma?
Any other advice?
Song Jie
别周末去，周末人太多了。还有，多带一件衣服，山上比山下冷多了。
Bié zhōumò qù, zhōumò rén tài duō le. Háiyǒu, duō dài yí jiàn yīfu, shān shang bǐ shān xià lěng duō le.
Don't go at the weekend, there are too many people. And take an extra layer: it's much colder at the top than at the bottom.
Understand
Telling the story of a trip
Song Jie uses most of the A2 grammar in a few lines. 了 after the verb tells what happened: (zuòle lǎnchē), took the cable car. 过 says whether she had been before: (méi qùguo), had never been. The length of time goes after the verb: (páiduì páile yí ge xiǎoshí), queued for an hour.
To describe the trip, she compares with 比 and gives her opinion with (tài… le): (tài měi le), so beautiful. Xie Fang comments with 得: (nǐ zhàopiàn pāi de hěn hǎo), your photos are really good.
| Grammar | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| verb + 了 | (Wǒmen zuòle lǎnchē.) | We took the cable car. |
| 没 + verb + 过 | (Wǒ méi qùguo Huángshān.) | I've never been to Huangshan. |
| how long | (Páile yí ge xiǎoshí.) | We queued for an hour. |
| 比 … 多了 | (Shān shang bǐ shān xià lěng duō le.) | It's much colder at the top. |
| verb + 得 | (Tā pāi de hěn hǎo.) | She takes good photos. |
一边…一边…: doing two things at once
(yìbiān) A (yìbiān) B means doing A and B at the same time: (wǒmen yìbiān zǒu yìbiān pāizhào), we took photos as we walked. Each (yìbiān) goes right before a verb, and the person comes first.
It's used for two actions by the same person, such as eating and chatting, or walking and talking.
- 我们一边吃饭一边聊天。Wǒmen yìbiān chīfàn yìbiān liáotiān.We chatted over dinner.
- 他一边听音乐一边跑步。Tā yìbiān tīng yīnyuè yìbiān pǎobù.He listens to music while he runs.
Planning and giving advice
To talk about plans, use (dǎsuan) or (xiǎng) with a time word: (wǒ dǎsuan xià ge yuè qù), I'm planning to go next month. (zhíde) + verb means “worth doing”: (zhíde qù), worth going.
For advice, (wǒ jiànyì nǐ…) means “I suggest you…”; add (yīnggāi), should, (bié), don't, and (rúguǒ… jiù…), if… then…. (zǎo diǎnr) means “a bit earlier, early”: (zǎo diǎnr yùdìng), book early.
- 我建议你坐缆车上山。Wǒ jiànyì nǐ zuò lǎnchē shàng shān.I suggest you take the cable car up.
- 如果下雨，就别去爬山了。Rúguǒ xià yǔ, jiù bié qù páshān le.If it rains, don't go climbing.
- 这个地方很值得去。Zhège dìfang hěn zhíde qù.This place is well worth a visit.
More in the grammar: Joining sentences: connectors · 了 after the verb: completed actions · 过: have you ever…?
New words
- 旅行lǚxíngto travel; a trip · (qù Huángshān lǚxíng), to go on a trip to Huangshan
- 风景fēngjǐngscenery, landscape
- 美měibeautiful · for scenery and places; (tài měi le), so beautiful
- 日出rìchūsunrise
- 爬páto climb · (páshān), to climb a mountain, go hiking
- 山shānmountain, hill · (shān shang), on the mountain; (shàng shān), to go up the mountain
- 缆车lǎnchēcable car
- 排队páiduìto queue · (páiduì páile yí ge xiǎoshí), queued for an hour
- 一边…一边…yìbiān… yìbiān…while…, at the same time
- 拍照pāizhàoto take photos · (pāi de hěn hǎo), takes good photos
- 值得zhídeto be worth (it) · (zhíde qù), worth going
- 建议jiànyìto suggest; advice · (wǒ jiànyì nǐ…), I suggest you…
- 攻略gōnglüètravel guide, tips (often online)
- 早点儿zǎo diǎnra bit earlier, early · short for (zǎo yìdiǎnr)
Practise
1.Match the travel words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
2.Song Jie had never been to Huangshan before. What does she say?
3.Put the words in order: we took photos as we walked.
Tap the words below in the right order.We took photos as we walked.
4.Which sentence means “It's much colder on the mountain than at the bottom”?
5.Put the words in order: I suggest you book early.
Tap the words below in the right order.I suggest you book early.
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
黄山的风景太美了。
Huángshān de fēngjǐng tài měi le.
The scenery on Huangshan is so beautiful.
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.