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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 11

我会说一点儿汉语 I can speak a little Chinese

Wǒ huì shuō yìdiǎnr Hànyǔ

Modal verbs 会 (learned skill) / 能 (ability). Action verbs 看 / 听 / 说 / 写 / 读. 学 / 教 / 觉得 / 一点儿 / 字.

Dialogue

我会说一点儿汉语 — I can speak a little Chinese

高老师大dà山shān, 你nǐ会huì说shuō汉hàn语yǔ吗ma? Dashan, can you speak Chinese?
大山我wǒ会huì说shuō一yì点diǎn儿ér汉hàn语yǔ. I can speak a little Chinese.
高老师你nǐ会huì写xiě汉hàn字zì吗ma? Can you write characters?
大山会huì一yì点diǎn儿ér. 我wǒ会huì写xiě"中zhōng国guó"和hé"我wǒ"! A little. I can write 中国 and 我!
高老师不bú错cuò! 你nǐ会huì读dú吗ma? Not bad! Can you read?
大山读dú不bú太tài会huì. 老lǎo师shī, 我wǒ想xiǎng学xué. Reading not so much. Teacher, I want to learn.

Dialogue

我能教你 — I can teach you

马小明大dà山shān, 我wǒ能néng教jiào你nǐ. 你nǐ想xiǎng学xué什shén么me? Dashan, I can teach you. What do you want to learn?
大山我wǒ想xiǎng学xué读dú汉hàn字zì. I want to learn to read characters.
马小明好hǎo! 你nǐ看kàn, 这zhè是shì"人rén", 那nà是shì"大dà". OK! Look — this is 人, that is 大.
大山人rén和hé大dà. 我wǒ会huì读dú! Person and big. I can read!
马小明太tài好hǎo了le! 你nǐ真zhēn好hǎo. Excellent! You're great.
大山我wǒ觉jué得de汉hàn字zì不bù难nán! I feel characters aren't hard!

Dialogue

听说读写 — Listen Speak Read Write

高老师同tóng学xué们men, 我wǒ们men学xué汉hàn语yǔ. 看kàn, 听tīng, 说shuō, 写xiě, 读dú — 都dōu很hěn重zhòng要yào. Class, we learn Chinese: looking, listening, speaking, writing, reading — all important.
马小明老lǎo师shī, 我wǒ能néng听tīng汉hàn语yǔ, 我wǒ也yě能néng说shuō. 写xiě汉hàn字zì不bú太tài会huì. Teacher, I can listen and speak Chinese. Writing characters not so well.
高老师我wǒ们men慢màn慢màn来lái. 一yì点diǎn儿ér一yì点diǎn儿ér学xué. Slow and steady. Little by little.
大山我wǒ也yě是shì. 我wǒ会huì说shuō一yì点diǎn儿ér, 写xiě一yì点diǎn儿ér, 读dú不bú太tài会huì. Same here. I can speak a little, write a little, read not so well.
高老师都dōu不bú错cuò! 我wǒ们men一yì起qǐ学xué. All not bad! Let's learn together.

Vocabulary

会huì: auxiliary can (learned skill)
能néng: auxiliary can (be able to)
学xué: verb to study; learn
教jiào: verb to teach
看kàn: verb to look; watch; read
听tīng: verb to listen
说shuō: verb to say; speak
写xiě: verb to write
读dú: verb to read aloud
字zì: noun (written) character
觉jué得de: verb to feel; think
一yì点diǎn儿ér: noun a little bit

New characters

会huì: can; meeting
不会 bú huì — don\'t know how开会 kāi huì — have a meeting一会儿 yíhuìr — a (little) while; a moment
点diǎn: (in 一点儿)
一点儿 yìdiǎnr — a little bit
写xiě: write
听写 tīngxiě — dictation写完 xiě wán — finish writing — V+完写错 xiě cuò — write wrongly — V+错
错cuò: wrong; mistaken (pair with 对)
不错 búcuò — pretty good; not bad写错 xiě cuò — write wrongly — V+错看错 kàn cuò — misread; see wrongly — V+错
读dú: read aloud
能néng: can; be able
可能 kěnéng — possibly; possibility可能性 kěnéngxìng — possibility能力 nénglì — ability; capability
教jiào: teach
教学楼 jiàoxuélóu — teaching building教室 jiàoshì — classroom (recall Bk2)
看kàn: look; watch; read
好看 hǎokàn — good-looking看病 kàn bìng — see a doctor (revisit)看到 kàn//dào — see; catch sight of — V+到 result complement
觉: (in 觉得 = think)
觉得 juéde — to feel; think睡觉 shuì jiào — sleep感觉 gǎnjué — feel; feeling (the chapter\'s meta-verb)
得dé: (in 觉得)
觉得 juéde — to feel; think记得 jìde — remember
难nán: difficult (formal placement)
困难 kùnnán — difficult; difficulty难忘 nánwàng — unforgettable
听tīng: listen
好听 hǎotīng — nice to listen to听写 tīngxiě — dictation听到 tīng//dào — hear — V+到 result complement
重zhòng: heavy (zhòng, this chapter); again (chóng, deferred)
重要 zhòngyào — important重新 chóngxīn — anew (二16)重视 zhòngshì — attach importance to; value
慢màn: slow (pair with 快)
慢慢 mànman — slowly (recall Bk1)

Hanzi — writing & recognition

会

huì can; meeting Writing

6 strokes top-bottom

Modern: "can / will / meeting." Multi-purpose. As modal: 会 = "can (have learned the skill)."

能

néng can; be able Writing

10 strokes left-right

Modern: "ability / be able to." Pairs with 会 — 能 = ability/availability, 会 = learned skill.

看

kàn look; watch; read Writing

9 strokes top-bottom radical 目

Pictograph: hand over eye = shading the eyes to look. Modern: "look / watch / read."

说

shuō say; speak Writing

9 strokes left-right radical 讠

Compound: 讠 (speech) + 兑. Modern: "speak / say / explain." 讠 cluster anchor.

听

tīng listen Recognition

7 strokes left-right radical 口

写

xiě write Recognition

5 strokes top-bottom

读

dú read aloud Recognition

10 strokes left-right radical 讠

学

xué study; school (revisit) Recognition

8 strokes top-bottom

教

jiāo teach Recognition

11 strokes left-right

字

zì character (revisit ch5) Recognition

6 strokes top-bottom radical 宀

Grammar

Modal verbs — 会 / 能

Explanation

Both 会 and 能 translate as "can" but have different meanings. (1) 会 = "have learned how to / have the skill." 我会说汉语 ("I can speak Chinese, I learned it"). (2) 能 = "be able to / it's possible / no obstacle." 我能去 ("I can go, no problem"). PATTERN: Subject + 会/能 + V (+ O). NEGATIVE: 不会 / 不能. 我不会写字 ("I don't know how to write characters"). 我不能去 ("I can't go"). RULE OF THUMB: skill = 会; ability/permission/availability = 能.

Examples

我wǒ会huì说shuō一yì点diǎn儿ér汉hàn语yǔ. I can speak a little Chinese.
你nǐ会huì写xiě汉hàn字zì吗ma? Can you write Chinese characters?
我能来. I can come.
我不能去. I can't go.

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