HSK 2 · Lesson 10您贵姓？ What’s your surname?

Family and favours: 您贵姓? 虽然…但是… “although…”, doubled verbs 看看 / 想了想, 自己 “oneself”, 可能 “maybe”, 帮忙 “help”, 都…了 “already”. HSK 2 wrap-up.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Meeting a family

A
您贵姓？
Nín guìxìng?
May I ask your surname?
B
我姓李。这是我妻子，这是我们的小孩儿。
Wǒ xìng Lǐ. Zhè shì wǒ qīzi, zhè shì wǒmen de xiǎoháir.
My surname is Li. This is my wife, and this is our child.
A
是男孩儿还是女孩儿？
Shì nánháir háishi nǚháir?
A boy or a girl?
B
是女孩儿，五岁了。她很喜欢画画儿。
Shì nǚháir, wǔ suì le. Tā hěn xǐhuan huà huàr.
A girl, she’s five. She loves drawing.
A
她笑得真好看！
Tā xiào de zhēn hǎokàn!
She has such a lovely smile!
B
虽然她还小，但是很多事情都自己做。
Suīrán tā hái xiǎo, dànshì hěn duō shìqing dōu zìjǐ zuò.
Although she’s little, she does lots of things by herself.

A favour

A
不好意思，你能帮我一个忙吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ néng bāng wǒ yí ge máng ma?
Sorry to bother you — could you do me a favour?
B
可以，什么事情？
Kěyǐ, shénme shìqing?
Sure, what is it?
A
我丈夫今天不在家，你能帮我看一下孩子吗？
Wǒ zhàngfu jīntiān bú zài jiā, nǐ néng bāng wǒ kān yíxià háizi ma?
My husband isn’t home today — could you look after the child for me?
B
没问题。你几点回来？
Méi wèntí. Nǐ jǐ diǎn huílai?
No problem. What time will you be back?
A
可能六点。都五点了，我走了！
Kěnéng liù diǎn. Dōu wǔ diǎn le, wǒ zǒu le!
Probably at six. It’s already five — I’m off!
B
好，希望你早点儿回来！
Hǎo, xīwàng nǐ zǎo diǎnr huílai!
OK, I hope you’ll be back early!

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 您贵姓? — surname and name

The polite way to ask someone’s surname is 您贵姓？ “your honourable surname?”. Answer 我姓李 (without 贵!). The full name uses 叫: 我叫李明. 姓名 is “full name” on forms. To a peer: 你叫什么名字？

您贵姓？—我姓王。
Nín guìxìng? — Wǒ xìng Wáng.
Your surname, please? — Wang.

2. 虽然…但是… — “although…”

虽然 + A，但是 + B

Chinese usually marks a concession at both ends: 虽然她还小，但是很多事情都自己做 “although she’s little, (but) she does many things herself”. 但是 can be shortened to 但, and 虽然 can be dropped.

虽然汉字很多，但是很有意思。
Suīrán Hànzì hěn duō, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi.
Although there are lots of characters, it’s very interesting.

3. Doubled verbs: 看看, 看一看, 想了想

A doubled verb means “a bit, have a go”: 看看 = 看一看 “take a look”, 休息休息 “rest a little”, 介绍介绍 “tell a bit about”. In the past put 了 in the middle: 他想了想 “he thought for a moment”.

你看看这个。
Nǐ kànkan zhège.
Have a look at this.
他想了想，说：“好吧。”
Tā xiǎngle xiǎng, shuō: “Hǎo ba.”
He thought for a moment and said, “OK.”

4. 自己, 可能, 正

自己 means “oneself, one’s own”: 我自己做 “I’ll do it myself”, 自己的房间 “one’s own room”. 可能 means “maybe, probably”: 他可能不来了 “he probably isn’t coming”. 正 means “just (at that moment)”: 我正想给你打电话 “I was just about to call you”.

我自己做。
Wǒ zìjǐ zuò.
I’ll do it myself.
他可能不来了。
Tā kěnéng bù lái le.
He probably isn’t coming.

5. 帮 and 帮忙; 告诉

帮 is an ordinary verb: 帮我 “help me”, 帮我看孩子 “look after the child for me”. 帮忙 is separable: 请你帮忙 “please help”, 帮我一个忙 “do me a favour”. Not “帮忙我”. 告诉 “tell” takes two objects: 告诉我你的名字.

你能帮我一个忙吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ yí ge máng ma?
Could you do me a favour?
请告诉我你的名字。
Qǐng gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi.
Please tell me your name.

6. 都…了 “already”; 吧 and 呢

都…了 means “already (so late / so much)”, with surprise or urgency: 都五点了 “it’s already five!”, 他都十岁了 “he’s already ten”. 吧 in a question is a guess, “right?”: 你是王老师吧？ 呢 after a word asks “where is…?”: 我的手机呢？ “where’s my phone?”.

都十点了，快睡觉吧！
Dōu shí diǎn le, kuài shuìjiào ba!
It’s ten already — go to bed!
你是王老师吧？
Nǐ shì Wáng lǎoshī ba?
You must be Mr Wang?
我的手机呢？
Wǒ de shǒujī ne?
Where’s my phone?

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    您贵姓？ Nín guìxìng? — May I ask your surname?

  2. Answer
    我自己做。 Wǒ zìjǐ zuò. — I’ll do it myself.

  3. Answer
    他可能不来了。 Tā kěnéng bù lái le. — He probably isn’t coming.

  4. Answer
    都十点了！ Dōu shí diǎn le! — It’s already ten!

2. Choose the correct option

  1. “Although he’s little, he does everything himself”

    Answer
    虽然他很小，但是什么都自己做。
  2. “Please help me”

    Answer
    请你帮我。
  3. Answer to “您贵姓？”

    Answer
    我姓王。
  4. “Have a look”: 你看___。

    Answer
    看

3. Build the sentence

  1. Although there are lots of characters, it’s very interesting.

    Answer
    虽然汉字很多，但是很有意思。 Suīrán Hànzì hěn duō, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi.
  2. Could you do me a favour?

    Answer
    你能帮我一个忙吗？ Nǐ néng bāng wǒ yí ge máng ma?
  3. Please tell me your name.

    Answer
    请告诉我你的名字。 Qǐng gàosu wǒ nǐ de míngzi.
  4. It’s ten already — go to bed!

    Answer
    都十点了，快睡觉吧！ Dōu shí diǎn le, kuài shuìjiào ba!

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

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

A
您好！您贵姓？
Nín hǎo! Nín guìxìng?
Hello! May I ask your surname?
B
我姓李。
Wǒ xìng Lǐ.
Li.
A
李先生，这是您的孩子吗？
Lǐ xiānsheng, zhè shì nín de háizi ma?
Mr Li, is this your child?
B
是，是我女儿。
Shì, shì wǒ nǚ’ér.
Yes, my daughter.
A
她几岁了？
Tā jǐ suì le?
How old is she?
B
虽然她还小，但是很多事情都自己做。
Suīrán tā hái xiǎo, dànshì hěn duō shìqing dōu zìjǐ zuò.
Although she’s little, she does lots of things herself.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. Although it’s cold today, I’ll go running.
    Answer
    虽然今天很冷，但是我要去跑步。
  2. He’s probably at home.
    Answer
    他可能在家。Tā kěnéng zài jiā.
  3. I’ll buy it myself.
    Answer
    我自己买。Wǒ zìjǐ mǎi.

💡 Did you know?: Surnames after marriage

In China a wife usually keeps her surname after marriage: Ms Wang stays Wang even if her husband is Li. Children most often take the father’s surname. The most common surnames — 王, 李, 张, 刘, 陈 — are shared by hundreds of millions of people.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).