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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 37

我在看书 I'm reading

Wǒ zài kàn shū

I'm reading chapter.

Dialogue

我在看书 — I'm reading

朋月友yǒu天tiān, 你nǐ在zài做zuò什shén么me? What are you doing?
友天我wǒ在zài看kàn书shū. 你nǐ呢ne? Reading. You?
朋月我wǒ正zhèng在zài吃chī饭fàn. Eating right now.
友天小xiǎo白bái呢ne? And Xiao Bai?
朋月她tā病bìng了le, 坐zuò着zhe喝hē茶chá. She's sick — sitting and drinking tea.
友天我wǒ们men都dōu做zuò不bù一yí样yàng的de事shì. We're all doing different things.

Vocabulary

在zài: adverb in the middle of (V)
正zhèng: adverb right now
正zhèng在zài: expression right now (V-ing)
着zhe: auxiliary (continuous particle)

New characters

做: (in 做过 = have done)
做过 zuò guo — have done
正zhèng: right now
正在 zhèngzài — right now (V-ing)
着zhe: (continuous)
事: matter (recall Bk1)
故事 gùshi — story同事 tóngshì — colleague

Hanzi — writing & recognition

正

zhèng right now Writing

5 strokes standalone

着

zhe (continuous) Writing

11 strokes top-bottom

Grammar

进行体 — 在 / 正在

Explanation

主语 + (正)在 + V = "subject is V-ing right now". 例: 我在看书 / 我正在吃饭. 否定: 没在 / 不在 + V.

Examples

友yǒu天tiān, 你nǐ在zài做zuò什shén么me? What are you doing?

Pronunciation

声母 zh, ch, sh 和韵母 er Initials zh, ch, sh and the Final er

声母 zh, ch, sh — Initials zh, ch, sh

This lesson teaches the retroflexes zh, ch, sh — tongue tip curled up toward the back of the roof of the mouth. No exact English equivalent; the audio is essential.

zh — roughly like "j" in "judge" but with the tongue curled back zhè · zhōng · zhī · zhù
ch — roughly like "ch" in "church" but with the tongue curled back chī · chá · chū · chàng
sh — roughly like "sh" in "shirt" but with the tongue curled back shì · shuō · shū · shí

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