1.5 Chat between Mei and Diego
Mei and Diego also contacted each other and they had a chat on WeChat. Listen to their chat first.
Chat between Mei and Diego
| 李梅： | 张笛，我是李梅。认识你很高兴。 |
| 张笛： | 嗨，李梅。认识你我也很高兴。 |
| 李梅： | 你喜欢旅游，你去过丹佛吗？ |
| 张笛： | 去过，丹佛很漂亮。 |
| 李梅： | 是的。我家在丹佛。 我也在丹佛的社交媒体公司实习过。 |
| 张笛： | 是吗？你实习做什么工作？ |
| 李梅： | 我做短视频，介绍丹佛的旅游景点。你呢？ 你实习过吗？ |
| 张笛： | 实习过。我在谷歌做过网络安全实习。 |
| 李梅： | 我的专业是软件工程，我不太懂网络安全。 |
| 张笛： | 别担心。我可以帮你。可是，我的中文不好。 |
| 李梅： | 听说有一个实习生叫王杰丹，他学中文专业。 |
| 张笛： | 他是哪国人？ |
| 李梅： | 美国人，他是中文专业大三的学生，我希望他可以帮我们学中文。 |
| 张笛： | 我也希望跟他一起练习。 |
| 李梅： | 好啊。期待在香港见。 |
| 张笛： | 香港见！ |
(Unit 1.2.2 Chat between Mei and Diego Vocab
Pinyin and English Annotation: Unit 1.2.2 Pinyin and English)
Reading Comprehension Exercises
Grammar and Sentence Structures
Unit 1.2.2 Chat between Mei and Diego
过 (guò) – to have done (something before); to pass
- Meaning: Used to indicate past experience or that something has happened before.
- When to use:
- Use 过 after a verb to show that someone has experienced something.
- It can also mean “to pass” (e.g., time, a place).
- Usage:
- Subject + Verb + 过 + Object
- Verb + 过 → Indicates past experience.
- Examples:
- 我去过中国。(Wǒ qù guò Zhōngguó.) → I have been to China.
- 你吃过北京烤鸭吗？(Nǐ chī guò Běijīng kǎoyā ma?) → Have you eaten Peking duck before?
- 时间已经过了。(Shíjiān yǐjīng guò le.) → Time has passed.
- 什么 (shénme) – what
- Meaning: Used to ask what or refer to something unknown or unspecified.
- When to use:
- Use 什么 in questions to ask “what.”
- It can also appear in statements to mean “something” or “anything.”
- Usage:
- Subject + Verb + 什么 + Object? → Question format.
- Used as part of a statement.
- Examples:
- 你喜欢吃什么？(Nǐ xǐhuān chī shénme?) → What do you like to eat?
- 这是什么？(Zhè shì shénme?) → What is this?
- 他没说什么。(Tā méi shuō shénme.) → He didn’t say anything.
- 哪 (nǎ) – which
- Meaning: Used to ask “which” or “where.” It can also act as a question word.
- When to use:
- Use 哪 with a measure word (like 个) to ask “which one.”
- Use 哪 + Place to ask “where.”
- Usage:
- 哪 + Measure Word + Noun? → “Which (one)?”
- Subject + 在 + 哪 + Place? → “Where?”
- Examples:
- 你喜欢哪个？(Nǐ xǐhuān nǎ ge?) → Which one do you like?
- 你从哪儿来？(Nǐ cóng nǎr lái?) → Where are you from?
- 这本书是哪个老师的？(Zhè běn shū shì nǎ ge lǎoshī de?) → Which teacher’s book is this?
- 可是 (kěshì) – but; however
- Meaning: Used to express contrast or “but” in a sentence.
- When to use:
- Use 可是 to connect two clauses where the second part contrasts with the first.
- Similar to 但是 (dànshì), but often used for emphasis in spoken Chinese.
- Usage:
- Clause 1, 可是 + Clause 2 → Shows contrast.
- Examples:
- 我想去旅游，可是没有时间。(Wǒ xiǎng qù lǚyóu, kěshì méiyǒu shíjiān.) → I want to travel, but I don’t have time.
- 他很聪明，可是不努力。(Tā hěn cōngmíng, kěshì bù nǔlì.) → He is smart, but he doesn’t work hard.
- 这个菜很好吃，可是太贵了。(Zhè ge cài hěn hǎochī, kěshì tài guì le.) → This dish is delicious, but it’s too expensive.
Quick Summary Table
| Word | Meaning | When to Use | Example |
| 过 | to have done; pass | After a verb to show past experience | 我去过日本。(Wǒ qù guò Rìběn.) → I have been to Japan. |
| 什么 | what | In questions or for unspecified things | 你想吃什么？(Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?) → What do you want to eat? |
| 哪 | which; where | To ask “which one” or “where” | 你喜欢哪个？(Nǐ xǐhuān nǎ ge?) → Which one do you like? |
| 可是 | but; however | To show contrast between two clauses | 我很累，可是不能休息。(Wǒ hěn lèi, kěshì bù néng xiūxí.) → I’m tired, but I can’t rest. |
Grammar and Sentence Structure Practice
1.5 Exercise 1.
1.5 Exercise 2.
travel
qù guò， have been to, have gone to
piàoliang， beautiful
Shì de， yes. Right.
jiā， home, family
gōngsī ， (business) company
zuò s， to do
shénme ， what?
gōngzuò， to work
duǎn， short in length
shìpín， Video
jièshào， to introduce
jǐngdiǎn， scenic spot; attractions
Gǔgē， Google
dǒng， understand
nǎ guó rén， what country is a person from; citizenship
xīwàng ， to hope
liànxí， to practice
Xiānggǎng， Hong Kong
jiàn，to see (someone), to meet with (someone)