他做什么工作？

Notes

1. “你想不想家？” — “Do you miss home (your family)?”

   The word “家” here refers to members of the family.

2. “想。” and “也想。” are both elliptical sentences in which the subject “我” and the objects “家” and “男朋友” are respectively understood.

3. “他做什么工作？” — “What does he do?”

4. “不想你男朋友吗？” — “Don’t you miss your boyfriend?”

   In a question with the interrogative particle “吗”, the predicative verb may be made negative to imply that an answer in the affirmative is expected.”

5. “她爱人在书店工作。” — “Her husband works in a bookstore.”

   In Chinese the word “爱人” may refer to either “husband” or “wife”.

6. “他们常常给我写信。” — “They often write to me.”

   In colloquial speech “常” often takes the form of “常常”, but the negative form remains “不常”.

7. “我姐姐问你好。” — “My elder sister wished to be remembered to you.” or “My elder sister sends you her love.”

   “问他们好。” — “Say hello to them.”

   “问...好” is an expression used to ask someone to give one's love or send one's best regards to a third person. “他问你好” is used by the speaker when he gives the regards of a third person to the person spoken to. “他问她好” is used when a third person asks the person spoken to to give his respects to another person. When the speaker asks the person spoken to to say hello to a third person, the subject “I” can be omitted. E.g. “(我)问他们好”.

Substitution and Extension

一

1.

3.

4.

二

1. Asking about occupation
   

   A:

   你好！我们认识一下儿、我叫尼古拉。

   B:

   我叫安德烈。我是职员。请问、你做什么工作？

   A:

   我是学生。

   B:

   你在哪儿学习？

   A:

   我在外语学院学习。

   * * *

   A:

   喂、商先生！

   B:

   啊、是你、丁先生、你好！

   A:

   你好。你现在在哪儿工作？

   B:

   我在银行工作、你呢？

   A:

   我在公司工作。你忙不忙？

   B:

   不忙。你孩子好吗？

   A:

   很好。问你爱人好。

   B:

   谢谢。再见！

   A:

   再见！

2. Introducing people to each other
   

   A:

   我给你们介绍一下儿。这是我们公司的丁经理、这是银行的商先生。

   B:

   您好！

   C:

   您好！

3. Sending someone your love or kind regard
   

   A:

   你哥哥常给你写信吗？

   B:

   他常给我写信。他也问你好。

   A:

   谢谢。

   * * *

   A:

   你爸爸好吗？

   B:

   很好、谢谢。

   A:

   我爸爸问你好。

   B:

   谢谢。

   * * *

   A:

   问你爱人好。再见！

   B:

   谢谢、再见！

学生登记表

Reading text

Grammar

❶ “有” sentences

A “有” sentence is one in which the verb “有” which denotes possession, functions as the main element of the predicate. Such a sentence is made negative by preceding “有” with “没” (and never with “不”). “有没有…” is used to build an affirmative-negative question with “…有没有…”.

❷ Prepositional constructions

The preposition “在” or “给” together with its object forms a prepositional construction, which is often placed before verbs as an adverbial adjunct.

Points to be noted:

1. The prepositional construction “在…” or “给…” never comes after the verb it qualifies and it is incorrect to say “他工作在银行” (“他在银行工作”).
2. The object of the preposition “在” is usually a word or phrase denoting a place while the object of the preposition “给” is often the receiver of the action expressed by the verb that follows.
3. In a negative sentence, the adverb “不” usually goes before the prepositional construction: “他不在银行工作” — “He doesn't work in a bank” or “He works not in a bank”. But: “丁云不住在北京” — “Ding Yung doesn't live in Beijing” or “Ding Yung lives not in Beijing.”

Exercises

1. Read out the following phrases and make sentences with them:

   (1)

   在中国学习

   在家写信

    

   在学院看书

   在书店买书

   (2)

   给他们介绍

   给老师写信

   给谁写信

    

   给姐姐买画报

   给留学生还书

   (3)

   问她好

   问他们好

    

   问你朋友好

   问安德烈好

2. Change the following to affirmative-negative questions and answer them in the negative:

   Example:		她有纸。
   	→	她有没有纸？
   		她没有纸。

   (1) 你朋友有法语词典。
   

   (2) 他们有中国地图。
   

   (3) 安德烈有汉语书。
   

   (4) 他有好笔。
   

   (5) 玛沙有中国朋友。
   

   (6) 留学生有外语画报。
   

3. Put in the preposition “在” or “给” in the following sentences:

   (1) 他 在 给 书店买书。
   (2) 我 在 给 朋友买画报。
   (3) 她姐姐 在 给 中国学习。
   (4) 他朋友不 在 给 商店工作。
   (5) 丁云 在 给 他们介绍北京。
   (6) 她不常 在 给 我写信。
   (7) 她常常 在 给 宿舍喝茶。

4. Make up a dialogue, using the hints given:

   (1)

   你叫什么名字？

   (2)

   你是哪国人？

   (3)

   你做什么工作？

   (4)

   你住在哪儿？

   (5)

   你有没有哥哥？

   (6)

   他是不是职员？

   (7)

   他在哪儿工作？

   (8)

   他有孩子吗？

   (9)

   孩子在哪儿学习？

   (10)

   他爱人工作不工作？

   (11)

   她做什么工作？

   (12)

   她在不在这儿？

5. Say something about your family after the fashion of the Reading text, and then write it out.

Pronunciation and Intonation

❶ Word stress (2)

When a noun is formed of reduplicated characters the first character receives a strong stress and the second one is pronounced in the neutral tone. E.g.

`			˘			ˉ
爸	爸		姐	姐		哥	哥
•			•			•
ˉ			`			`
妈	妈		妹	妹		弟	弟
•			•			•

❷ Exercises

1. Read out the following disyllabic words, paying attention to the main stress and weak stress:

   a) the 1^st tone + the neutral tone:

   ˉ			ˉ			ˉ			ˉ
   妈	妈		哥	哥		他	们		她	们
   •			•			•			•

   b) the 2^nd tone + the neutral tone:

   ´			´			´			´
   朋	友		学	生		什	么		名	字
   •			•			•			•

   c) the 3^rd tone + the neutral tone:

   ˘			˘			˘
   姐	姐		你	们		我	们
   •			•			•

   d) the 4^th tone + the neutral tone:

   `			`			`			`
   妹	妹		弟	弟		爱	人		告	诉
   •			•			•			•

2. Read out the following words and expressions, paying attention to the pronunciation of “j”, “q” and “x”:

   ˉ

   ˉ

   ´

   ˉ

   ˘

   ˉ

   `

   ˉ

   jiā

   (家):

   他

   家

   谁

   家

   想

   家

   在

   家

   ˘

   ˘

   `

   jiě

   (姐):

   姐

   姐

   姐

   妹

   ˘

   `

   ˘

   `

   ˘

   `

   ˘

   `

   qǐng

   (请):

   请

   问

   请

   进

   请

   坐

   请

   看

   ´

   ´

   ´

   `

   ´

   xué

   (学):

   学

   习

   学

   院

   学

   生

3. Read out the following short passage:

   ˉ

   ´

   ˘

   `

   ´

   ´

   ˉ

   `

   ˉ

   ˘

   ˘

   ´

   ´

   ´

   ˘

   丁

   云

   的

   姐

   姐

   在

   银

   行

   工

   作

   。

   她

   姐

   姐

   也

   学

   习

   俄

   语

   。

   ˉ

   ˘

   ˘

   ˉ

   ´

   ´

   ˘

   ˉ

   ´

   ˘

   `

   ˉ

   `

   ˉ

   ˘

   她

   很

   想

   丁

   云

   、

   常

   给

   丁

   云

   写

   信

   。

   她

   问

   玛

   沙

   好

   。

Test exercises

Write the following sentences in Chinese characters adding tone marks above them:

1. Qǐng wèn, zhè shì nǐde nǚpéngyou ma? — Bú shì, zhè shì wǒ mèimei, tā shì Wàiyǔ xuéyuànde xuésheng. — Тā xuéxí shénme? — Tā xuéxí fǎyǔ. — Nǐ yǒu jiějie ma? — Yǒu, tā zài yínháng gōngzuò.
2. Nǐ yǒu dìdi ma? — Méiyǒu, wǒ yǒu gēge. — Тā zuò shénme gōngzuò? — Tā shì lǎoshī, tā àirén zài shūdiàn gōngzuò. — Tāmen yǒu háizi ma? — Méiyǒu.
3. Nǐ hěn xiǎng nǐ nán péngyou ma? — Hěn xiǎng. Wǒ cháng gěi tā xiě xìn, tā yě cháng gěi wǒ xiě xìn. — Тā xiànzài hǎo ma? — Xièxie, tā hěn hǎo.
4. Wǒmen jiā yǒu bàba, māma, gēge hé dìdi. Wǒ méiyǒu jiějie, yě méiyǒu mèimei. Wǒ bàba, māma dōu shì lǎoshī, tāmen gōngzuò hěn máng. Gēge shì dàifu, tā yě hěn máng. Тā àirén yě shì dàifu, nǐ bú rènshi tā. Dìdi shì xuésheng, tā xuéxí yīngyǔ hé éyǔ. Тā cháng shuō yīngyǔ.
5. Qǐng nǐ gàosu wǒ, nǐ rènshi Wáng jīnglǐ ma? — Rènshi, tā shì wǒ gēgede hǎo péngyou, tā cháng lái wǒmen jiā hē chá. — Qǐng wèn tā hǎo.
6. Wǒ gēge shì gōngsīde zhíyuán, tā àirén shì gōngchéngshī. Jiějie xiànzài méiyǒu gōngzuò.

Write the following word combinations in Chinese characters and pinyin, lay tone marks:

上海 shūdiàn; zài shūdiàn mǎi cídiǎn hé 杂志; yǒu 美国报纸 hé 杂志; zài 德国 gōngzuò; 北京 yínháng; Wáng jīnglǐ bú zài; nǐmen gōngsī láide xìn; zhè shì Xiè jīnglǐ gěi nǐde xìn; qù 欧洲; 亚洲 gōngsī; 朝鲜 gōngchéngshī; 美国 gōngsī zhíyuán; zài 医院 gōngzuò.

③Read the following unfamiliar words, made of the characters you know, try to translate them into English:

写字；工人；姐妹；爱国；职工；报告；女孩儿；男孩儿；公车；来信。

Translate the following sentences from Chinese into English:

1. 你家住在哪儿？
   
2. — 有人吗？
   — 是谁？
   — 我是张文。
   — 啊、小张、请进。
   
3. 我介绍一下。这是我的好朋友、他叫张文。他是上海大学的教授。
   
4. — 你和你的同学也都去中国学汉语吗？
   — 我们也都去。我们也都学汉语。
   
5. 他们也都来我们的学院。他们都是我们的好朋友。
   
6. — 你妈妈去哪儿？
   — 她去买英语词典和本子。
   
7. — 你的中国朋友学法语吗？
   — 对、我们也都学法语。
   
8. 我介绍一下儿、这是中国的谢教授。谢教授是我爸爸的好朋友。他也是大夫。
   
9. — 你们的汉语语法老师叫什么？
   — 他叫王老师。他是北京大学的教授。
   
10. — 你认识丁大夫吗？
    — 认识。他是我爸爸的同学。他们是朋友。
    

Translate the following sentences from English into Chinese:

1. — Where do you work?
   — I work in a bookstore.
   
2. My friend also studies at the Institute of Foreign Languages.
   
3. His wife doesn't work in a bank, she is a company’s manager.
   
4. Now he is studying in England. He misses his wife and children very much, often writes letters to them, sends his regards to his friends.
   
5. — Do you have an elder brother?
   — No, I don’t.
   — Who is that?
   — My younger brother.
   
6. — What do you do?
   — I’m a bank’s office worker.
   
7. We are all students. We all study at the Institute of Foreign Languages.
   
8. — Is your friend going to China?
   — No, he is studying English and is going to England.
   
9. — Do you have a Chinese dictionary?
   — Yes, I have.
   
10. My elder sister studies English. I often buy her books and pictorials in English.
    
11. — Who do you buy Chinese pictorials for?
    — For a friend.
    
12. He is from Beijing. He’ll tell us about Beijing.
    
13. — Where are you going?
    — I’m going to the dormitory to return the copy-book to a friend.
    
14. — Is your friend also an engineer?
    — No, he is a doctor.
    
15. All foreign students have dictionaries.
    
16. — Do you have a car?
    — No, my father has a car.
    
17. — Whose letter is this?
    — This is my elder sister’s letter.
    
18. I write letters not at the Institute, I write letters at home.
    
19. — Where is the Institute of Foreign Languages?
    
20. I live not in the dormitory, I live at home.
    
21. — What country is your doctor from?
    — He is Russian.
    
22. — How is your elder brother?
    — Thanks, he is fine.
    
23. — Are you busy right now?
    — No (I’m not busy).
    — Let me introduce you to a staff member of our company. His (sur)name is Wang.
    
24. My younger sister doesn’t have children, my elder sister have.
    
25. I read books not at the Institute, but at home.
    
26. He doesn’t have English books. He doesn’t study English.
    
27. Is this your map of China? — No, not mine, I don’t have a map of China.
    
28. Come, let me introduce you someone (softened tone). This is my elder brother, this is my friend.
    
29. He is Chinese. He also often tells us about China.
    
30. He studies not at our Institute, he studies at the Institute of Foreign Languages.
    

Do you know?

Chinese Forms of Address for Different Family Relationships

Chinese forms of address for the various family relationships are very complicated. The following diagram will show you how members of a Chinese family (jiā, 家) call each other.