附近有公园吗？ Is there a park nearby? — HSK 3, lesson 2

Dialogues

The way to the park

A

请问，附近有公园吗？

Qǐngwèn, fùjìn yǒu gōngyuán ma?

Excuse me, is there a park nearby?

B

有。你一直往前走，到第二个路口向左走。

Yǒu. Nǐ yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu, dào dì-èr ge lùkǒu xiàng zuǒ zǒu.

Yes. Go straight on and turn left at the second crossroads.

A

要过马路吗？

Yào guò mǎlù ma?

Do I need to cross the road?

B

要。路口有红绿灯，绿灯的时候过。

Yào. Lùkǒu yǒu hóng-lǜdēng, lǜdēng de shíhou guò.

Yes. There are traffic lights at the crossroads — cross on green.

A

公园在马路的哪边？

Gōngyuán zài mǎlù de nǎbiān?

Which side of the road is the park on?

B

在东边。路边有一个书店，书店后面就是公园。

Zài dōngbian. Lùbiān yǒu yí ge shūdiàn, shūdiàn hòumiàn jiù shì gōngyuán.

On the east side. There’s a bookshop by the road, and the park is right behind it.

Where are you from?

A

你家在城市的哪个地方？

Nǐ jiā zài chéngshì de nǎge dìfang?

Which part of the city do you live in?

B

在西北。我住的小区离地铁站很近。

Zài xīběi. Wǒ zhù de xiǎoqū lí dìtiě zhàn hěn jìn.

In the north-west. My housing estate is close to the metro.

A

你是南方人还是北方人？

Nǐ shì nánfāng rén háishi běifāng rén?

Are you a southerner or a northerner?

B

我是北方人，我出生在东北。

Wǒ shì běifāng rén, wǒ chūshēng zài Dōngběi.

A northerner — I was born in the Northeast.

A

我常常找不到方向，没有地图就不行。

Wǒ chángcháng zhǎo bu dào fāngxiàng, méiyǒu dìtú jiù bù xíng.

I often lose my sense of direction — I can’t manage without a map.

New words

东dōngeast; host (i.e. sitting on east side of guest); landlord
南nánsouth
西xīwest; the West; Spanish
北běinorth; (classical) to be defeated
东北dōngběinortheast; Northeast China; Manchuria
东南dōngnánsoutheast
西北xīběinorthwest
西南xīnánsouth-west
东方dōngfāngeast; the East; the Orient
南方nánfāngsouth; southern direction
西方xīfāngthe West; western
北方běifāngnorth; the northern part a country; China north of the Yellow River
城市chéngshìcity; town
市shìmarket; city; municipality (administrative unit)
附近fùjìnnearby; neighboring; (in the) vicinity (of); neighborhood
马路mǎlùstreet; road
路口lùkǒucrossing; intersection (of roads)
路边lù biānroadside
红绿灯hóng-lǜdēngtraffic lights
街jiēstreet
方向fāngxiàngdirection; orientation
地方dìfangplace; location; area; space; territory
地点dìdiǎnplace; site; location
地图dìtúmap
小区xiǎoqūhousing estate
公园gōngyuánpark (for public recreation)
向xiàngtowards; to face; to turn towards

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. Compass points: 东, 南, 西, 北 and 东北, 西南…

The compass points are 东 “east”, 南 “south”, 西 “west”, 北 “north”; with 边 / 面 they become places: 东边 “on the east side”. In compound directions east or west comes first: 东北 “north-east” (literally “east-north”), 西南 “south-west”, 东南, 西北 — the opposite of English.

公园在马路的东边。

Gōngyuán zài mǎlù de dōngbian.

The park is on the east side of the road.

我家在城市的西北。

Wǒ jiā zài chéngshì de xīběi.

My home is in the north-west of the city.

2. 北方 / 南方, 东方 / 西方

北方 and 南方 also mean China’s North and South (roughly divided by the Yangtze and the Qinling mountains): 北方人, 南方菜. 东方 and 西方 are the East and the West as parts of the world and cultures: 西方国家 “Western countries”. 东北 also names China’s Northeast.

你是南方人还是北方人？

Nǐ shì nánfāng rén háishi běifāng rén?

Are you a southerner or a northerner?

3. 向 — “towards”

向 + direction / person + verb

向 shows direction, like 往: 向左走 “go left”, 向前看 “look ahead”. It also marks the person an action is aimed at: 向老师问好 “greet the teacher”, 向他借书 “borrow a book from him”.

到路口向右走。

Dào lùkǒu xiàng yòu zǒu.

Turn right at the crossroads.

我们向老师问好。

Wǒmen xiàng lǎoshī wènhǎo.

We greet the teacher.

4. 附近, 路边, 一直

附近 means “nearby”: 附近有银行吗？, 学校附近 “near the school”. 路边 is “by the road”. 一直 means “straight, all the time”: 一直往前走 “go straight on”, 他一直在家 “he’s been at home all along”.

学校附近有很多饭馆。

Xuéxiào fùjìn yǒu hěn duō fànguǎn.

There are lots of restaurants near the school.

一直往前走。

Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu.

Go straight on.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

Answer
附近有公园吗？ Fùjìn yǒu gōngyuán ma? — Is there a park nearby?
Answer
到路口向右走。 Dào lùkǒu xiàng yòu zǒu. — Turn right at the crossroads.
Answer
我是北方人。 Wǒ shì běifāng rén. — I’m a northerner.
Answer
一直往前走。 Yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu. — Go straight on.

2. Choose the correct option

“North-east”
Answer
东北
到路口___左走。
Answer
向
“Near the school”: 学校___
Answer
附近
“Traffic lights”
Answer
红绿灯

3. Build the sentence

The park is on the east side of the road.
Answer
公园在马路的东边。 Gōngyuán zài mǎlù de dōngbian.
There are lots of restaurants near the school.
Answer
学校附近有很多饭馆。 Xuéxiào fùjìn yǒu hěn duō fànguǎn.
I was born in the Northeast.
Answer
我出生在东北。 Wǒ chūshēng zài Dōngběi.
Turn left at the second crossroads.
Answer
到第二个路口向左走。 Dào dì-èr ge lùkǒu xiàng zuǒ zǒu.

4. Dialogue: give directions

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

A

请问，附近有银行吗？

Qǐngwèn, fùjìn yǒu yínháng ma?

Excuse me, is there a bank nearby?

B

有，就在前面。

Yǒu, jiù zài qiánmiàn.

Yes, just ahead.

A

要过马路吗？

Yào guò mǎlù ma?

Do I need to cross the road?

B

不用，一直往前走就到了。

Bú yòng, yìzhí wǎng qián zǒu jiù dào le.

No, just go straight and you’ll be there.

A

银行在路的哪边？

Yínháng zài lù de nǎbiān?

Which side of the road is the bank on?

B

在右边，超市旁边。

Zài yòubian, chāoshì pángbiān.

On the right, next to the supermarket.

5. Translate into Chinese

There is a park near my home.
Answer
我家附近有一个公园。
Go straight on, turn right at the crossroads.
Answer
一直往前走，到路口向右走。
My home is in the south-west of the city.
Answer
我家在城市的西南。

💡 Did you know?: In Beijing they say “go east”

Old Beijing was laid out by the compass: streets run north–south and east–west. So Beijingers giving directions often say 往东走 “go east”, 往北拐 “turn north” rather than left or right. In southern China people more often say 左 / 右.