In this conversation a mother and her daughter are shopping for clothes (mp3)
| Pinyin | Chinese | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 王 | Nǐ xiǎng mǎi shénme yīfú? Kùzi, háishì chènshān | 你想买什么衣服？裤子，还是衬衫 | What clothes do you want to buy? Pants, or shirt |
| 李 | Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī jiàn chènshān | 我想买一件衬衫 | I want to buy a shirt |
| 王 | Nǐ xǐhuān shénme yánsè de chènshān | 你喜欢什么颜色的衬衫 | What color shirt do you like |
| 李 | Bái sǐ de | 白死的 | White ones. |
| 王 | Zhè jiàn zěnme yàng | 这件怎么样 | How about this one? |
| 李 | Zhè jiàn tài dàle | 这件太大了 | This on is too big |
| 王 | Zhè jiàn ne | 这件呢 | What about this one? |
| 李 | Wǒ xǐhuān zhè jiàn. Duōshǎo qián. | 我喜欢这件。多少钱。 | I like this one. How much is it. |
| 王 | 380 kuài. | 三百八十 快. | Three hundred and eighty. |
| 李 | Tài guàile | 太怪了 | Too expensive! |
| 王 | Shì tài guìle. Zhè jiàn ne? | 是太贵了。这件呢？ | It’s too expensive. What about this one? |
| 李 | Tài piàoliangle, wǒ xǐhuan, ye bu gui, wǒ mǎile | 太漂亮了，我喜欢！也不贵，我买了 | Very pretty, I like it, and its not too expensive. I’ll buy it. |
Vocabulary
| Pinyin |
Chinese |
English |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| bái |
白 | white |
Adjective |
| sè | 色 | color |
Suffix, appended to color words like: báisè, hóngsè, lǜsè |
| yánsè | 颜色 | color |
Noun |
| piàoliang | 漂亮 | beautiful |
Adjective |
| yīfu | 衣服 | clothes |
Noun used to refer to clothes in general. |
| jiàn | 件 | Classifier for clothes, mainly upper garments, such as shirts or sweaters. |
|
| tiáo | 条 | Classifier for pants, and many of long thin things. |
|
| chènshān | 衬衫/td> | shirt/blouse |
Noun |
| zěnme yàng | 怎么样 | “how about it” |
Expression used to ask the opinion of others. |
| kùzi | 裤子 | pants |
Noun |
| guì | 贵 | expensive |
Adjective |
| piányi | 便宜 | cheap |
Adjective |
| dà | 大 | big |
Adjective |
| xiǎo |
小 | small |
Adjective |
| le | 了 | Particle, used for emphasis |
Grammar patterns
When to use “de” with adjectives
Adjectives are used to qualify nouns, that is to say, they add information about the noun. In Chinese, like English, the adjective precedes the noun in word order. Adjectives are often linked to a noun using the structural partical “de”, but it is not always required. Here are a couple of examples
| Adjective |
Noun |
Example |
Translation |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hěn guì | de | yīfu | Wǒ xǐhuan hěn guì de yīfu | I like very expensive clothes | |
| guì | yīfu | Wǒ xǐhuan guì yīfu | I like expensive clothes |
The rule is simple. If the adjective has two or more syllables then use “de” otherwise you can omit it.
Color words don’t always need “sè”
Color words are sometimes followed by the word “sè”. For example: “báisè”, “hóngsè”, “lǜsè”. Using “sè” emphasizes the color. Note, when you use “sè” the color becomes a two letter adjective and, so, it requires “de”
| Color | (optional) | Noun | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lǜ | chá | green tea | |
| hēi | kāfēi | black coffee | |
| hóng | sè de | bǐ | red pencil |
| bái |
sè de | yīfu | white clothes |
Note that “lǜ chá” is not actually green colored tea, and “hēi kāfēi” means coffee with nothing extra. So in these two cases, adding “sè de” would change the meaning.
Practice
Check this link for Sentence Practice
<
