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Study in the app →Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 3 · Chapter 25
准备考试 Preparing for an exam
Xiao Hong prepping for an exam alone. Teaches V + 了 + duration and 离 + event + 还有 + duration (counting down).
Dialogue
我复习了三个小时 — I've studied for three hours
- 小红 我已经复习了三个小时了. I've already been studying for three hours.
- 同学 背了多少生词? How many new words have you memorised?
- 小红 我背了五十个, 还差不多三十个. I've done fifty — about thirty to go.
- 同学 语法的题做了几页? How many pages of grammar questions did you do?
- 小红 做了十页, 还有十页. Done ten — ten pages left.
- 同学 你坚持一下, 我去给你买一杯咖啡. Hang in there — I'll get you a coffee.
- 小红 谢谢! 我也要看一下笔记, 想想自己的看法. Thanks! I'll review the notes too, and think over my own views.
Dialogue
离考试还有两天 — Two days until the exam
- 同学 离考试还有几天? How many days until the exam?
- 小红 还有两天. 恐怕时间不够了. Two more days. I'm afraid there isn't enough time.
- 同学 你今天夜里还要看书吗? Are you reading tonight too?
- 小红 是. 这次考试大概很难, 离考试这么近, 我得坚持. Yes. This exam is probably hard, and with it this close I have to keep going.
- 同学 离学校的图书馆远吗? 在那里看可能更清楚. Is the library far? It might be clearer there.
- 小红 不远. 复习完这一页我就去. Not far. Once I finish this page I'll head over.
Vocabulary
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 考试 | kǎoshì | n. | exam; test (recall Bk2) |
| 复习 | fùxí | v. | review (recall ch21) |
| 背 | bèi | v. | memorise; recite |
| 生词 | shēngcí | n. | new vocabulary |
| 语法 | yǔfǎ | n. | grammar |
| 题 | tí | n. | question; problem |
| 离 | lí | prep. | away from; until (in time/space) |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | adv. | still have; X left (recall Bk1) |
| 页 | yè | m. | measure word for pages |
| 夜里 | yè lǐ | n. | at night; late night |
| 困 | kùn | adj. | sleepy |
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | n. | coffee (recall Bk1) |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | adv. | almost; nearly |
| 坚持 | jiānchí | v. | persist; keep going |
| 笔记 | bǐjì | n. | notes; lecture notes |
| 小红 | Xiǎo Hóng | pn. | Xiao Hong (persona — recall ch21) |
New characters
| 汉字 | Pinyin | POS | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 背 | bèi | memorise; back | |
| 词 | cí | word (recall Bk2) 生词 shēngcí — new vocabulary | |
| 页 | yè | page | |
| 坚 | jiān | (in 坚持 = persist; keep going) 坚持 jiānchí — persist; keep going | |
| 持 | chí | (in 坚持 = persist; keep going) 坚持 jiānchí — persist; keep going保持 bǎochí — keep; maintain | |
| 恐 | Kǒng |
Hanzi — writing & recognition
kǎo test; examine (in 考试) Writing
fù review; repeat (in 复习) Writing
bèi memorise; back Recognition
tí question; problem Recognition
yè page Recognition
lí away from; gap Recognition
Grammar
数量补语: V + 了 + 时长 (持续) (三51) Quantity complement: V + 了 + duration (how long) (三51)
动作持续了多长时间, 用"动词 + 了 + 时长". 我学中文学了两年 / 我等了他半个小时. 有宾语时有两种说法: (1) 重复动词: 我学中文学了两年. (2) 时长后加"的": 我学了两年的中文. 这是动作持续的时间, 和"间隔时长"(三52)不同.
How long an action LASTED: "verb + 了 + duration". 我学中文学了两年 / 我等了他半个小时. With an object, two patterns: (1) copy the verb: 我学中文学了两年. (2) 的 after duration: 我学了两年的中文. This is the action's duration — different from the "elapsed gap" of 三52.
- 我学中文学了两年. Wǒ xué Zhōngwén xué le liǎng nián. I've studied Chinese for two years.
- 我等了他半个小时. Wǒ děng le tā bàn ge xiǎoshí. I waited half an hour for him.
- 我看书看了一上午. Wǒ kàn shū kàn le yí shàngwǔ. I read for a whole morning.
- 他复习了三个小时. Tā fùxí le sān ge xiǎoshí. He revised for three hours.
Grammar
情态副词: 大概 / 恐怕 (三18) Modal adverbs: 大概 / 恐怕 (三18)
上一课 (grammar-01) 讲时长. 本课两个表示推测的副词: 大概 = 可能 / 差不多 (大概要下雨 / 大概三十岁). 恐怕 = 担心地推测, 多用于不太好的事 (恐怕来不了 / 恐怕是病了). 都放在谓语前. 大概偏中性, 恐怕带一点担心.
Grammar-01 was duration. Two adverbs of conjecture: 大概 = probably / about (大概要下雨 / 大概三十岁). 恐怕 = a worried guess, usually for bad things (恐怕来不了 / 恐怕是病了). Both before the predicate. 大概 is neutral; 恐怕 carries worry.
- 这次考试大概很难. Zhè cì kǎoshì dàgài hěn nán. This exam is probably hard.
- 天这么黑, 大概要下雨. Tiān zhème hēi, dàgài yào xià yǔ. The sky's so dark — it'll probably rain.
- 我头疼, 恐怕是病了. Wǒ tóu téng, kǒngpà shì bìng le. My head hurts — I'm afraid I'm ill.
- 他恐怕来不了了. Tā kǒngpà lái bu liǎo le. I'm afraid he can't make it.
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