In this HSK 2 lesson we'll learn how to say other people, oneself and by oneself in Chinese and how to use the Modal Verb 要 in Chinese to say should and don't in Chinese.
HSK | CHINESE |
PINYIN | P.O.S | ENGLISH | AUDIO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 要2 | yào | m.v. | should; need to | |
2 | 不要 | búyào | v. (ph.) | don't | |
2 | 别 | bié | adv. | (do)n't | |
3 | 别人 | biéren | n. | other people | |
3 | 自己 | zìjǐ | pron. | self; oneself | |
2 | 休息 | xiūxi | v. | to rest; to take a break | |
2 | 一起 | yìqǐ | adv. | together |
In Chinese, other people is 别人, while self, oneself is 自己. We can say phrases like:
To say someone does something by oneself in Chinese, we can use this structure:
For example,
We learned about the Modal Verb 要 in HSK 2 Lesson 1 already, but in today's lesson, it suggests a different meaning. The Modal Verb 要:
in Lesson 1: suggests "having the plan, intention, or determination to do something"; meaning “to want to”, “to intend to” or "to plan to"
in Lesson 2: suggests "having the need or demand to do something"; meaning "should" or "need to"
Sometimes it might be difficult to tell whether 要 suggests intention or demand, so we need the help of the context to decide. For example following sentence could have two different meanings.
Since the Modal Verb 要 can suggest "having the need or demand to do something", we can say someone (1) needs to do something or (2) should do something in Chinese with 要, using this structure:
For example,
要 (should;need) can also be used in an Imperative Sentence to make a request and demand. But we need to be careful with the tone because it may sound pressing and impolite. Here are some example sentences:
When saying an Imperative Sentence where the Subject is implied, we can usually use a Zero-Subject Sentence 无主句 Wúzhǔjù,
For example,
Since 要 suggests "demand", 不要 suggests the opposite, "no demand", therefore, to say don't do something in Chinese, we can use 不要.
There is another word, 别, which can also be used to say don't do something in Chinese. So we can use this structure:
For example,
Zero-subject Sentences are also very common when saying Imperative Sentences with 不要 and 别. For example,
一起 means together in Chinese. We can use it by following this structure:
For example,
We can use 和...一起 to say together with someone in Chinese.
We also have another phrase, 和...在一起, we can use it like this:
It has two meanings (1) literally to be in the same place together, or (2) to be in a relationship together.
(1) literally to be in the same place together
(2) to be in a relationship together
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