Lesson 14 (I)

Practical Chinese Reader

Objectives

• You will be able to talk about your family: how many people you have in your family; what they are and where they work; if you miss them or often write to them, call them...

Listen and Learn• Zhè shì wǒ de yì jiā. • Wǒ jiā yǒu sān ge rén: wǒ tàitai, wǒ érzi

hé wǒ.• Zhè shì wǒ de tàitai, tā xiànzài bù

gōngzuò. • Wǒ yǒu yí ge érzi. Tā zài yínháng

gōngzuò. Tā shì zhíyuán. • Wǒ yǒu yí ge dìdi. Wǒ méiyǒu jiejie,

mèimei, gēge. Wǒ dìdi zài Shànghǎi gōngzuò. Tā shì gōnchéngshī.

• Wǒ de bàba māma ye zài Shànghǎi. Tāmen bù gōngzuò, tuìxiū le.

Some new words

yì jiā  ge  gōngzuò  yǒu  yínháng  zhíyuán  jiějie  mèimei  gōnchéngshī  tuìxiū le

a family  a measure word  to work, job  to have  a bank  a clerk  an elder sister  a younger sister  an engineer  have retired

Yǒu 有 to have

• Wǒ jiā yǒu sān ge rén.

• Wǒ yǒu yí ge érzi.

• Wǒ yǒu yí ge dìdi.

• Wǒ méi yǒu jiějie mèimei.

– Questions – Do you have…?

• Nǐ yǒu gēge ma?

• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu gēge?

Answer the questions using ‘yǒu’ or ‘méi yǒu’

• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu gēge?• Nǐ yǒu měi yǒu dìdi?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu jiějie?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu mèimei?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu dìtú?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu Hànyǔ shū?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu bǐ?• Nǐ yǒu méi yǒu qián?

Listen and Learn• Zhè shì wǒ de yì jiā. • Wǒ jiā yǒu sān ge rén: wǒ tàitai, wǒ érzi hé wǒ.• Zhè shì wǒ de tàitai, tā xiànzài bù gōngzuò. • Wǒ yǒu yí ge érzi. Tā zài yínháng gōngzuò. Tā

shì zhíyuán. • Wǒ yǒu yí ge dìdi. Wǒ méiyǒu jiejie, mèimei,

gēge. Wǒ dìdi zài Shànghǎi gōngzuò. Tā shì gōnchéngshī.

• Wǒ de bàba māma ye zài Shànghǎi. Tāmen bù gōngzuò, tuìxiū le.

Questions about Xie family• a. Xiè laoshī yǒu méiyou érzi? (Xiè laoshī

you érzi ma?) • b. Tā érzi zài nǎr (nǎlǐ) gōngzuò? • c. Tā érzi zuò shénme gōngzuò? • d. Tā tàitai zuò shénme gōngzuò? • e. Xiè lǎoshī yǒu méiyǒu jiejie? • f. Tā dìdi zài nǎr (nǎlǐ) gōngzuò? • g. Tā dìdi zuò shénme gōngzuò? • h. Tā bàba māma yě zài Shànghai

gōngzuò ma?

這是我的一家。我家有三個人：我太太，我兒子和我。這是我的太太，她現在不工作。我有一個兒子。他在銀行工作。他是職員。我有一個弟弟。我沒有姐姐、妹妹、哥哥。我弟弟在上海工作。他是工程師。我的爸爸媽媽也在上海。他們不工作，退休了。

Note

• a. 'you méiyou...?' or 'you...ma?' both mean 'do you have...?'

• b. Pay attention that 'do not have' is 'méiyou', not 'bù you"

• c. 'zuò shénme gōngzuò' means 'what job does one do'. The original word order in Chinese is: 'do what job'. 'gōngzuò here is a noun. The answer to this question is 'Tā shì gōnchéngshī. (He is an engineer.) or Tā shì zhíyuán. (He is a clerk) '

• 'ge' is a measure word in Chinese. It must appear after numerals and before nouns.

For example:

• two books      liáng ben shū three teacher   sān ge lǎoshī one brother     yí ge dìdi one son          yí ge érzi

• where 'běn' and 'ge' are measure words. Use of a specific measure word depends on the noun.

• gōngzuò' is both a verb and a noun.

• It is a verb in 'Tā xiànzài bù gōngzuò.' (She doesn't work now).

• It is a noun in 'Tā zuò shénme gōngzuò?' (What job does he do?)

• 'tuìxiū' is a verb, to retire. 'tuìxiūle' means 'have retired (for some time)'

Say following sentences and questions in Chinese:

• have a younger brother (a younger sister, a girl friend, a good friend).

• I have a Chinese book (a map of China, a map of America, a car).

• I don't have boy friend (elder sister, elder brother, car, job).

• Do you have English book (car, pen)? • Where do you work? • I work in bank (bookstore, a store, institute). • What job does your father do? • He is a doctor (teacher, professor, clerk,

manager-jīnglǐ, engineer).

Answer the questions about your family

• 你家有幾個人？• 你有沒有哥哥、姐姐、弟弟、妹妹？• 他（她）在哪兒（哪裡）？• 他（她）做什麼工作？• 你爸爸媽媽在哪兒（哪裡）• 他們做什麼工作？