Lesson 18 Dialogue 2
Grammar
University of Michigan Flint
Zhong, Yan
上(shàng) is a versatile verb.
To board a car or plane
 上车/飞机
 shàng chē/fēijī

University of Michigan Flint
为了 (wèile) usually appears in the
first clause of a complex sentence
为了学好中文，他每天听两
个小时录音
 Wèile xué hǎo Zhōngwén, tā
měitiān tīng liǎng ge xiǎoshí
lùyīn.
 In order to learn Chinese
well, he listens to the
recording for two hours
everyday.

University of Michigan Flint

to go to the
bathroom
 上厕所
 shàng cèsuǒ
University of Michigan Flint
To go to school is 上学 (shàng xué) in
colloquial Mandarin
上小学, shàng
xiǎoxué, attending
elementary school
 上中学, shàng
zhōngxué , attending
middle school
 上大学 shàng dàxué,
attending college.

University of Michigan Flint
Duration of Actions
When a sentence contains both a time
expression that indicates the duration of
an action and an object, it needs to be
formed in one of these two patterns:
 A. Repetition of the verb
 B. Time expression placed before the
object, often with 的 (de)

University of Michigan Flint
She listens to recordings for an
hour every day.


A.
她每天听录音听一个
小时。
 Tā měitiān tīng lùyīn
tīng yí ge

B.
 她每天听一个小时(
的)录音。
 Tā měitiān tīng yí ge
xiǎoshí (de) lùyīn.
University of Michigan Flint
She swims for forty minutes
every afternoon.


A.
她每天下午游泳游四
十分钟。
 Tā měitiān xiàwǔ
yóu yǒng yóu sìshí
fēnzhōng.

B.
她每天下午游四十分
钟(的)泳。
 Tā měitiān xiàwǔ
yóu sìshí fēnzhōng
(de) yǒng.

University of Michigan Flint
She reads English newspapers for two hours every
day, so her English is getting better and better.
A. 她每天看英文报
纸看两个小时，所以
英文越来越好了。
 Tā měitiān kàn
Yīngwén bàozhǐ kàn
liǎng ge xiǎoshí,
suǒyǐ Yīngwén yuè
lái yuè hǎo le.

B. 她每天看两个小
时(的)英文报纸，所
以英文越来越好了。
 Tā měitiān kàn liǎng
ge xiǎoshí (de)
Yīngwén bàozhǐ,
suǒyǐ Yīngwén yuè
lái yuè hǎo le.

University of Michigan Flint
Soccer vs. Football

Although the term 足
球 (zúqiú) literally
means “football,” it
refers to soccer,
rather than
American football.

To avoid confusion,
Chinese speakers
refer to American
football as 美式足球
(Měishì zúqiú,
American-style
football) or 橄榄球
(gǎnlǎn qiú, lit.,
“olive ball”).
University of Michigan Flint
The Particle 着 (zhe)
着 (zhe) signifi es the continuation of an
action or a state. Its function is
descriptive.
 When 着 (zhe) is used between two
verbs, the one that precedes 着 (zhe)
signifi es the accompanying action,
while the second verb signifies the main
action.

University of Michigan Flint
老师站着教课，学生
坐着听课。
 Lǎoshī zhàn zhe jiāo
kè, xuésheng zuò
zhe tīng kè.
 While the teacher
stood lecturing, the
students sat
listening.

University of Michigan Flint
我喜欢躺着听音乐。
 Wǒ xǐhuan tǎng zhe
tīng yīnyuè.
 I like to listen to
music while lying
down.

University of Michigan Flint
美式足球可以抱着球
跑。
 Měishì zúqiú kěyǐ
bào zhe qiú pǎo.
 In American football,
you can run with the
ball in your hands.

University of Michigan Flint
着 (zhe) vs. 在 (zài)

着 (zhe) is normally
used after a verb to
indicate a continuing
action or a state.

在 (zài) is normally
used before a verb
to indicate an
ongoing action.
University of Michigan Flint
被/叫/让 (bèi/jiào/ràng) in
Passive-Voice Sentences
A sentence in the passive voice can be
constructed with 被 (bèi), 叫 (jiào), or 让
(ràng).
 Its structure is as follows:
 receiver of the action + 被 (bèi)/ 叫
(jiào)/ 让 (ràng) + agent of the action +
verb + other element (complement/了
{le}, etc.)

University of Michigan Flint
我的功课被/叫/让狗
吃了。
 Wǒ de gōngkè
bèi/jiào/ràng gǒu chī
le.
 My homework was
eaten by my dog.

University of Michigan Flint
你买的那些书被/叫/
让你的女朋友拿去了
。
 Nǐ mǎi de nà xiē shū
bèi/jiào/ràng nǐ de
nǚpéngyou ná qù le.
 The books that you
bought were taken
away by your
girlfriend.

University of Michigan Flint
糟糕，你的网球拍被
/叫/让我压坏了。
 Zāogāo, nǐ de
wǎngqiú pāi
bèi/jiào/ràng wǒ yā
huài le.
 Oh gosh, your
tennis racket was
crushed [by me].

University of Michigan Flint
the passive voice in Chinese
In Chinese, the passive voice is not
used as often as it is in English.
 It often carries negative connotations
and usually appears in situations that
are unpleasant for the receiver of the
action, or in situations where something
is lost.

University of Michigan Flint
In a passive-voice sentence with 被
(bèi)/叫 (jiào) /让 (ràng), the agent of the
action does not always have to be
specified.
 If the agent of the action is someone
that is not identifiable or need not be
identified, it can be referred to simply as
人 (rén, someone; people).

University of Michigan Flint
我的信用卡被/叫/让
人拿走了。
 Wǒ de xìnyòngkǎ
bèi/jiào/ràng rén ná
zǒu le.
 My credit card was
taken away.

University of Michigan Flint
同学们在教室里又唱
又跳，他快被吵死了
。
 Tóngxué men zài
jiàoshì li yòu chàng
yòu tiào, tā kuài bèi
chǎo sǐ le.
 His classmates are
singing and dancing
in the classroom.
The noise is driving
him to distraction.


the agent of the
action can be
omitted
University of Michigan Flint
你看，我的梨被/叫/
让你的西瓜压坏了。
 Nǐ kàn, wǒ de lí
bèi/jiào/ràng nǐ de
xīgua yā huài le.
 Take a look. My
pears were crushed
by your watermelon.

University of Michigan Flint

A:
 学生们在做什么呢？
 Xuésheng men zài
zuò shénme ne?
 What are the
students doing ?

B:
 在运动。
 Zài yùndòng.
 They’re exercising.
University of Michigan Flint
谢谢
再见
University of Michigan Flint
Zhong, Yan