Chinese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 3 of 12
News and current events
今天的新闻Jīntiān de xīnwén
Understand simple news in Chinese: the passive with 被, things that “got done” without 被, and reporting what someone said, asked or wanted.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Understand and tell simple news
- Say what happened to someone with 被
- Say that something got done without 被 (修好了)
- Pass on what someone said, asked or wanted with 说, 问 and 让
Listen
In Guangzhou, retired couple Mr and Mrs Lin read the news on their phones over breakfast. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Mrs Lin
老林，你看，新闻说三号线的新地铁站修好了，下个月开通。
Lǎo Lín, nǐ kàn, xīnwén shuō sān hào xiàn de xīn dìtiězhàn xiūhǎo le, xià ge yuè kāitōng.
Look, Lin, the news says the new station on Line 3 is finished. It opens next month.
Mr Lin
太好了，就在我们家附近。以后去医院就方便多了。
Tài hǎo le, jiù zài wǒmen jiā fùjìn. Yǐhòu qù yīyuàn jiù fāngbiàn duō le.
Great, it's right near our home. Getting to the hospital will be much easier.
Mrs Lin
还有一个新闻：昨天晚上，一个骑车的年轻人在路口被车撞了。
Hái yǒu yí ge xīnwén: zuótiān wǎnshang, yí ge qí chē de niánqīngrén zài lùkǒu bèi chē zhuàng le.
Here's another story: last night a young man on a bike was hit by a car at a crossroads.
Mr Lin
哎呀！他受伤了吗？
Āiyā! Tā shòushāng le ma?
Oh no! Was he hurt?
Mrs Lin
受伤了，不过新闻说没有大问题。
Shòushāng le, búguò xīnwén shuō méiyǒu dà wèntí.
He was, but the news says it's nothing serious.
Mr Lin
今天还发生了什么事？
Jīntiān hái fāshēngle shénme shì?
What else happened today?
Mrs Lin
上个星期在地铁上偷手机的那个小偷，被警察抓住了。
Shàng ge xīngqī zài dìtiě shang tōu shǒujī de nàge xiǎotōu, bèi jǐngchá zhuāzhù le.
The thief who was stealing phones on the metro last week has been caught by the police.
Mr Lin
太好了。对了，我听说今天下午有暴雨？
Tài hǎo le. Duìle, wǒ tīngshuō jīntiān xiàwǔ yǒu bàoyǔ?
Good. By the way, I heard there's a rainstorm this afternoon?
Mrs Lin
是的。天气预报提醒市民下午最好不要出去。
Shì de. Tiānqì yùbào tíxǐng shìmín xiàwǔ zuìhǎo bú yào chūqu.
Yes. The weather forecast is warning people in the city to stay in this afternoon if they can.
Mr Lin
那我不去爬山了。儿子给我发了消息，问我们周末去不去他家吃饭。
Nà wǒ bú qù páshān le. Érzi gěi wǒ fāle xiāoxi, wèn wǒmen zhōumò qù bu qù tā jiā chīfàn.
Then I won't go walking in the hills. Our son sent me a message asking if we're coming to his place for dinner at the weekend.
Mrs Lin
去啊。你跟他说，让他别买太多菜。
Qù a. Nǐ gēn tā shuō, ràng tā bié mǎi tài duō cài.
Of course. Tell him not to buy too much food.
Mr Lin
好。他还问你感冒好了没有。
Hǎo. Tā hái wèn nǐ gǎnmào hǎo le méiyǒu.
OK. He also asked whether your cold is better.
Understand
被: when something happens to someone
In a passive sentence, the person or thing that something happens to comes first. In Chinese, put (bèi) before the doer and the verb: (xiǎotōu bèi jǐngchá zhuāzhù le), the thief was caught by the police. The doer can be left out: (tā bèi zhuàng le), he was hit.
(bèi) is used mostly for things that are unpleasant or unexpected for the person: being hit, robbed, criticised. The verb after (bèi) never stands alone. It needs something after it: (le), a result such as (zhuāzhù) or (zhuànghuài), or another detail.
In speech you'll also hear (ràng) or (jiào) instead of (bèi), but then the doer must be said: (tā ràng chē zhuàng le). The negative is (méi bèi) or (méiyǒu bèi): (tā méi bèi zhuàng), he wasn't hit.
- 我的手机被偷了。Wǒ de shǒujī bèi tōu le.My phone has been stolen.
- 他被车撞了。Tā bèi chē zhuàng le.He was hit by a car.
- 小偷被警察抓住了。Xiǎotōu bèi jǐngchá zhuāzhù le.The thief was caught by the police.
Things that got done: no 被 needed
When the subject is a thing and it's clear that people did the action, Chinese simply puts the thing first and the verb after it, with no (bèi) at all: (xīn dìtiězhàn xiūhǎo le), the new station has been built (literally “new station build-finished”). This is much more common than (bèi) for neutral or good news.
In written news you'll see (jiāng) for the future instead of (huì) or (yào): (sān hào xiàn xīn zhàn jiāng yú xià yuè kāitōng), the new station on Line 3 will open next month. (yú) is a written word for (zài), “at, in”. You only need to recognise them.
- 饭做好了。Fàn zuòhǎo le.The food is ready. (literally “the meal has been made”)
- 票都卖完了。Piào dōu màiwán le.The tickets are all sold out.
- 房间打扫好了。Fángjiān dǎsǎo hǎo le.The room has been cleaned.
Passing on what someone said
Reporting in Chinese is easy: the verbs don't change and the word order stays the same. Only the pronouns change, as in English. Start with (… shuō), … says: (xīnwén shuō méiyǒu dà wèntí). (tīngshuō) means “I heard, people say” when you don't name the source.
To report a question, use (wèn) + the question without (ma). Yes/no questions become A-not-A, (qù bu qù), or (… le méiyǒu): (tā wèn nǐ gǎnmào hǎo le méiyǒu), he asked if your cold is better. Question words stay: (tā wèn wǒ jǐ diǎn lái), he asked what time I'm coming.
To report a request, use (ràng) or (jiào) + person + what they should do: (ràng tā bié mǎi tài duō cài), tell him not to buy too much food. (māma ràng wǒ zǎo diǎnr huí jiā), Mum told me to come home early.
More in the grammar: The passive with 被
New words
- 新闻xīnwénnews; a news story · (kàn xīnwén), to read or watch the news
- 号线hào xiàn(metro) line number … · (sān hào xiàn), Line 3
- 开通kāitōngto open (a new line, road or service) · (xiū), to build; to repair: (xiūhǎo le), has been built, is finished; (qù yīyuàn), to go to hospital
- 被bèi(marks the passive) by · (bèi chē zhuàng le), was hit by a car
- 撞zhuàngto hit, to crash into
- 受伤shòushāngto be injured, to get hurt
- 发生fāshēngto happen · (Fāshēngle shénme shì?), what happened?
- 小偷xiǎotōuthief · (tōu), to steal
- 警察jǐngchápolice; police officer
- 抓住zhuāzhùto catch · (zhuā), grab, + (zhù), firmly
- 听说tīngshuōto hear (that), people say
- 暴雨bàoyǔrainstorm, heavy rain
- 提醒tíxǐngto remind; to warn
- 市民shìmínpeople living in a city, residents
Practise
1.A bike is (zìxíngchē). How do you say “My bike was stolen”?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.That thief was caught by the police.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.Your friend asked you: (nǐ míngtiān lái ma?) How do you tell someone else what she asked?
5.What does (fàn zuòhǎo le) mean?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
你听说了吗？
Nǐ tīngshuō le ma?
Have you heard?
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.