地铁站怎么走？ How do I get to the metro? — HSK 2, lesson 4

Dialogues

Asking the way

A

请问，地铁站怎么走？

Qǐngwèn, dìtiě zhàn zěnme zǒu?

Excuse me, how do I get to the metro station?

B

往前走，到超市那儿往右走，地铁站就在右边。

Wǎng qián zǒu, dào chāoshì nàr wǎng yòu zǒu, dìtiě zhàn jiù zài yòubian.

Go straight on, turn right at the supermarket, and the station is right there on the right.

A

远吗？走路要多长时间？

Yuǎn ma? Zǒulù yào duō cháng shíjiān?

Is it far? How long does it take on foot?

B

不远，走路十分钟。

Bù yuǎn, zǒulù shí fēnzhōng.

Not far — ten minutes’ walk.

A

谢谢！

Xièxie!

Thanks!

To the airport

A

明天你怎么去机场？

Míngtiān nǐ zěnme qù jīchǎng?

How are you getting to the airport tomorrow?

B

我打车去。坐地铁太慢了。

Wǒ dǎchē qù. Zuò dìtiě tài màn le.

I’ll take a taxi. The metro is too slow.

A

坐公交车也可以，车站就在学校门口。

Zuò gōngjiāochē yě kěyǐ, chēzhàn jiù zài xuéxiào ménkǒu.

You could also take the bus — the stop is right at the school gate.

B

公交车上人太多了，我还是打车吧。

Gōngjiāochē shang rén tài duō le, wǒ háishi dǎchē ba.

The bus is too crowded — I’d rather take a taxi.

New words

往wǎngto go (in a direction); to; towards
路lùroad (CL:條); journey; route
路上lùshangon the road; on the way; en route
走zǒuto walk; to go; to run
走路zǒulùto walk; to go on foot; to leave; to depart
就jiù(after a suppositional clause) in that case; then
打车dǎchēto take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift
地铁dìtiěunderground railway; subway; subway train
公交车gōngjiāochēpublic transport vehicle; town bus
车站chēzhànrail station; bus stop
站zhànstation; to stand; to halt
机场jīchǎngairport; airfield
门méngate; door; doorway; gateway; opening (CL:扇)
门口ménkǒudoorway; gate
左zuǒleft; the Left (politics); east
右yòuright; right-hand side; (politics) right of center
左边zuǒbianleft; the left side; to the left of
右边yòubianright side; right, to the right
前面qiánmiànin front, ahead
后面hòumiànbehind, at the back
里面lǐmiàninside
外面wàimiànoutside
上面shàngmiànon top, above
下面xiàmiànbelow, underneath
面miànface; side; surface
慢mànslow

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 往 — “towards”

往 + direction + 走 / verb

往 shows the direction of movement: 往前走 “go straight ahead”, 往左走 “go left”, 往右走 “go right”, 往学校走 “head towards the school”. “How do I get to…?” is …怎么走？

往前走。

Wǎng qián zǒu.

Go straight ahead.

请问，车站怎么走？

Qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zěnme zǒu?

Excuse me, how do I get to the bus stop?

2. 左 / 右 and the suffix 面: 前面, 里面…

Place words take either 边 or 面 — the meaning is the same: 前边 = 前面 “in front”, 后面 “behind”, 里面 “inside”, 外面 “outside”, 上面 “on top”, 下面 “below”, 左边 “on the left”, 右边 “on the right”. 面 is more common in the south and in writing.

书店在超市的左边。

Shūdiàn zài chāoshì de zuǒbian.

The bookshop is to the left of the supermarket.

外面很冷，里面很热。

Wàimiàn hěn lěng, lǐmiàn hěn rè.

It’s cold outside and hot inside.

3. Transport: 坐地铁, 打车, 走路

You “sit” on transport: 坐地铁 “by metro”, 坐公交车 “by bus”. A taxi you “hail”: 打车 “take a taxi”. On foot is 走路. Travel time: 走路十分钟 “ten minutes on foot”, 坐地铁要半个小时 “half an hour by metro”. As in HSK 1 lesson 18, the means comes before 去: 我打车去机场.

我坐地铁去公司。

Wǒ zuò dìtiě qù gōngsī.

I take the metro to work.

走路要二十分钟。

Zǒulù yào èrshí fēnzhōng.

It takes twenty minutes on foot.

4. 就 — “right, just”

就 before a verb stresses “right, exactly, just”: 车站就在门口 “the stop is right at the entrance”, 他就是王老师 “he is Mr Wang himself”. 就 has other meanings too — more in later lessons.

车站就在学校门口。

Chēzhàn jiù zài xuéxiào ménkǒu.

The stop is right at the school gate.

他就是我们的老师。

Tā jiù shì wǒmen de lǎoshī.

He’s our teacher himself.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
往右走。 Wǎng yòu zǒu. — Go right.
Answer
地铁站就在前面。 Dìtiě zhàn jiù zài qiánmiàn. — The metro station is just ahead.
Answer
我打车去机场。 Wǒ dǎchē qù jīchǎng. — I’ll take a taxi to the airport.
Answer
走路要十分钟。 Zǒulù yào shí fēnzhōng. — Ten minutes on foot.

2. Choose the missing word

请问，书店怎么___？
Answer
走
___前走，书店在左边。
Answer
往
我___车去机场。
Answer
打
“It’s very hot inside”: ___很热。
Answer
里面

3. Build the sentence

Excuse me, how do I get to the metro station?
Answer
请问，地铁站怎么走？ Qǐngwèn, dìtiě zhàn zěnme zǒu?
The stop is right at the school gate.
Answer
车站就在学校门口。 Chēzhàn jiù zài xuéxiào ménkǒu.
I take the bus to work.
Answer
我坐公交车去公司。 Wǒ zuò gōngjiāochē qù gōngsī.
The bookshop is to the right of the supermarket.
Answer
书店在超市的右边。 Shūdiàn zài chāoshì de yòubian.

4. Dialogue: give directions

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

A

请问，这儿离机场远吗？

Qǐngwèn, zhèr lí jīchǎng yuǎn ma?

Excuse me, is the airport far from here?

B

很远。你坐地铁去吧。

Hěn yuǎn. Nǐ zuò dìtiě qù ba.

Very far. Take the metro.

A

地铁站怎么走？

Dìtiě zhàn zěnme zǒu?

How do I get to the metro station?

B

往前走，就在右边。

Wǎng qián zǒu, jiù zài yòubian.

Go straight on — it’s right there on the right.

A

走路要多长时间？

Zǒulù yào duō cháng shíjiān?

How long is it on foot?

B

五分钟。

Wǔ fēnzhōng.

Five minutes.

5. Translate into Chinese

Go straight on, then turn left.
Answer
往前走，再往左走。Wǎng qián zǒu, zài wǎng zuǒ zǒu.
The supermarket is right at the entrance.
Answer
超市就在门口。Chāoshì jiù zài ménkǒu.
I go to school by metro.
Answer
我坐地铁去学校。Wǒ zuò dìtiě qù xuéxiào.

💡 Did you know?: Taxis by phone

In Chinese cities you almost always call a taxi with a phone app, and pay with your phone too. In the metro a QR code on the phone replaces tickets. A taxi driver is politely called 师傅 shīfu, “master”.