HSK 1 · Lesson 14你会写汉字吗？ Can you write characters?
Skills and ability: 会 vs 能; studying: 课, 写, 读, 难, 明白.
Speed:Male voice:
Dialogues
After class
A
你会写汉字吗？
Nǐ huì xiě Hànzì ma?
Can you write characters?
B
会写一点儿。汉字很难，但是很有意思。
Huì xiě yìdiǎnr. Hànzì hěn nán, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi.
A little. Characters are hard but interesting.
A
今天的课文你明白吗？
Jīntiān de kèwén nǐ míngbai ma?
Did you understand today’s text?
B
不太明白。你能教我吗？
Bú tài míngbai. Nǐ néng jiāo wǒ ma?
Not really. Could you teach me?
A
能！我们晚上一起读吧。
Néng! Wǒmen wǎnshang yìqǐ dú ba.
Sure! Let’s read it together this evening.
B
太好了，谢谢你！
Tài hǎo le, xièxie nǐ!
Great, thank you!
New words
- 会huìcan; to have the skill; to know how to
- 能néngcan; to be able to; might possibly
- 写xiěto write
- 读dúto read out; to read aloud; to read
- 字zìletter; symbol; character
- 汉字HànzìChinese character(s)
- 课kèsubject; course; class
- 课文kèwéntext
- 课本kèběntextbook
- 教jiāoto teach; to instruct
- 难nándifficult (to...); problem; difficulty
- 明白míngbaiclear; obvious; unequivocal
- 知道zhīdàoto know; to become aware of
- 认真rènzhēnconscientious; earnest; serious
- 听写tīngxiě(of a pupil) to write down (in a dictation exercise); dictation
- 问wènto ask; to inquire
- 听tīngto listen to; to hear; to heed; to obey
- 事shìmatter; thing; item
- 问题wèntíquestion; problem; issue
Grammar
1. 会 and 能 — “can”
会 is a learned skill: 我会游泳 “I can swim”. 能 is ability or permission in the moment: 我今天不能去 “I can’t go today”, 我能进来吗？ “may I come in?”. Skill but no chance right now — 能: 我会开车，可是今天不能开.
他会说三种外语。
Tā huì shuō sān zhǒng wàiyǔ.
He speaks three foreign languages.
你明天能来吗？
Nǐ míngtiān néng lái ma?
Can you come tomorrow?
2. 不太 — “not very”
不太 + adjective/verb softens a negative: 不太难 “not very hard”, 不太明白 “don’t quite understand”.
今天的听写不太难。
Jīntiān de tīngxiě bú tài nán.
Today’s dictation isn’t very hard.
Exercises
1. 会 or 能?
- 我___说汉语。
Answer
会 - 我今天有事，不___去。
Answer
能 - 老师，我___问一个问题吗？
Answer
能
2. Translate
- Do you understand?
Answer
你明白吗？ - Characters aren’t very hard.
Answer
汉字不太难。
💡 Did you know?: Characters and phones
Chinese people type in pinyin and pick characters from suggestions, so even natives sometimes forget how to write one (提笔忘字). All the more reason to write by hand: a worksheet helps a character stick.
Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).