我比你高 I’m taller than you — HSK 2, lesson 1

Dialogues

A family photo

A

这是你爷爷和奶奶吗？

Zhè shì nǐ yéye hé nǎinai ma?

Are these your grandpa and grandma?

B

是啊。我爷爷个子很高，比奶奶高多了。

Shì a. Wǒ yéye gèzi hěn gāo, bǐ nǎinai gāo duō le.

Yes. My grandpa is tall — much taller than grandma.

A

你哥哥呢？他比你高吗？

Nǐ gēge ne? Tā bǐ nǐ gāo ma?

And your older brother? Is he taller than you?

B

他比我高一点儿。我们家他最高。

Tā bǐ wǒ gāo yìdiǎnr. Wǒmen jiā tā zuì gāo.

A little taller. He’s the tallest in our family.

A

你妹妹呢？

Nǐ mèimei ne?

What about your younger sister?

B

她还小，没有我这么高。

Tā hái xiǎo, méiyǒu wǒ zhème gāo.

She’s still little — not as tall as me.

Is school far?

A

你家离学校远吗？

Nǐ jiā lí xuéxiào yuǎn ma?

Is your home far from school?

B

不远，很近。你家呢？

Bù yuǎn, hěn jìn. Nǐ jiā ne?

No, it’s close. And yours?

A

我家比你家远多了。

Wǒ jiā bǐ nǐ jiā yuǎn duō le.

Mine is much farther than yours.

B

有那么远吗？

Yǒu nàme yuǎn ma?

Is it really that far?

A

有！我坐车要一个小时。

Yǒu! Wǒ zuò chē yào yí ge xiǎoshí.

Yes! It takes me an hour by car.

B

这么远啊！

Zhème yuǎn a!

That far!

New words

比bǐto compare; (followed by a noun and adjective) more {adj.} than {noun}
高gāohigh; tall; above average
个子gèzistature; height; size (of a person or object)
长chánglong
最zuì(before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est
离líto leave; to part from; to be away from
远yuǎnfar; distant; remote
近jìnnear; close to; approximately
这么zhèmeso, like this
那么nàmeso, like that
这样zhèyànglike this, such
那样nàyànglike that, such
爷爷yéye(coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa
奶奶nǎinai(informal) grandma (paternal grandmother)
啊aparticle (exclamation, softening)

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. A 比 B + adjective — “A is …er than B”

A + 比 + B + adjective

“I’m taller than you” is 我比你高, literally “I compared with you tall”. Do not put 很, 非常 or 真 into the comparison: not “我比你很高”. “Much” or “a little” go after the adjective (see below).

我比你高。

Wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo.

I’m taller than you.

今天比昨天冷。

Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān lěng.

Today is colder than yesterday.

2. By how much: 一点儿, 多了, 两岁

A 比 B + adj. + 一点儿 / 多了 / amount

The difference goes after the adjective: 高一点儿 “a little taller”, 高多了 “much taller”, 大两岁 “two years older”, 贵十块 “ten yuan more expensive”.

哥哥比我大两岁。

Gēge bǐ wǒ dà liǎng suì.

My brother is two years older than me.

这个比那个贵多了。

Zhège bǐ nàge guì duō le.

This one is much more expensive than that one.

3. A 没有 B (这么 / 那么) + adj. — “not as … as”

A + 没有 + B + (这么 / 那么) + adjective

Negative comparisons usually use 没有: 妹妹没有我高 “my sister is not as tall as me”. 这么 “so” is about what is near, 那么 about what is farther: 没有我这么高, 没有他那么高. In a question: 有那么远吗？ “is it really that far?”.

我没有哥哥那么高。

Wǒ méiyǒu gēge nàme gāo.

I’m not as tall as my brother.

今天没有昨天热。

Jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān rè.

Today isn’t as hot as yesterday.

4. 最 “the most”

最 before an adjective or verb means “the most”: 他最高 “he’s the tallest”, 我最喜欢饺子 “I like dumplings best”. The group goes first: 我们家他最高 “he’s the tallest in our family”.

我最喜欢喝茶。

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan hē chá.

I like drinking tea best.

我们班他个子最高。

Wǒmen bān tā gèzi zuì gāo.

He’s the tallest in our class.

5. 离 — “far from / close to”

A + 离 + B + 远 / 近

离 shows the distance between two places: 我家离学校很近 “my home is close to school”, 你家离这儿远吗？ “is your home far from here?”. Don’t confuse it with 从 “from”, the starting point of a trip (从家到学校).

我家离学校很近。

Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn.

My home is close to school.

机场离这儿远吗？

Jīchǎng lí zhèr yuǎn ma?

Is the airport far from here?

6. 这么 / 那么, 这样 / 那样; the particle 啊

这么 / 那么 + adjective means “so”: 这么远 “so far”, 那么贵 “so expensive”. 这样 / 那样 mean “like this / like that” and “such”: 我们这样做吧 “let’s do it like this”. 啊 at the end softens or adds feeling: 是啊 “yeah”, 这么远啊！ “that far!”.

我们这样做吧。

Wǒmen zhèyàng zuò ba.

Let’s do it like this.

你的个子这么高啊！

Nǐ de gèzi zhème gāo a!

You’re so tall!

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
我比你高。 Wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo. — I’m taller than you.
Answer
我家离学校很近。 Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào hěn jìn. — My home is close to school.
Answer
他是我们班最高的。 Tā shì wǒmen bān zuì gāo de. — He’s the tallest in our class.
Answer
今天没有昨天冷。 Jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān lěng. — Today isn’t as cold as yesterday.

2. Choose the correct option

“I’m taller than you”
Answer
我比你高。
“My brother is two years older than me”
Answer
哥哥比我大两岁。
我家___学校很远。
Answer
离
“He isn’t as tall as me”: 他___我高。
Answer
没有

3. Build the sentence

Today is a little colder than yesterday.
Answer
今天比昨天冷一点儿。 Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān lěng yìdiǎnr.
I like drinking tea best.
Answer
我最喜欢喝茶。 Wǒ zuì xǐhuan hē chá.
Is the airport far from here?
Answer
机场离这儿远吗？ Jīchǎng lí zhèr yuǎn ma?
I’m not as tall as my brother.
Answer
我没有哥哥那么高。 Wǒ méiyǒu gēge nàme gāo.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A

你家离学校远吗？

Nǐ jiā lí xuéxiào yuǎn ma?

Is your home far from school?

B

不远，很近。

Bù yuǎn, hěn jìn.

No, it’s close.

A

你哥哥比你高吗？

Nǐ gēge bǐ nǐ gāo ma?

Is your brother taller than you?

B

他比我高一点儿。

Tā bǐ wǒ gāo yìdiǎnr.

A little taller.

A

你们家谁最高？

Nǐmen jiā shéi zuì gāo?

Who’s the tallest in your family?

B

我爷爷最高。

Wǒ yéye zuì gāo.

My grandpa.

5. Translate into Chinese

Today is hotter than yesterday.
Answer
今天比昨天热。Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān rè.
My home is far from my company.
Answer
我家离公司很远。Wǒ jiā lí gōngsī hěn yuǎn.
My sister is three years younger than me.
Answer
妹妹比我小三岁。Mèimei bǐ wǒ xiǎo sān suì.

💡 Did you know?: Names for grandparents

爷爷 and 奶奶 are your father’s parents. Your mother’s parents are 姥爷 lǎoye and 姥姥 lǎolao in the north of China and 外公 wàigōng and 外婆 wàipó in the south. Chinese has many precise kinship words: an older brother 哥哥 and a younger one 弟弟 are different words, and the same goes for sisters.